Small House Poem
for Ellie

In this little house
all you need is a little

bit of everything. Little
vase (little flowers),

little pan to heat
the onions on, little

soap to balance on
the whitesink’s edge.

There’s a little bit
of magic to a space

so small it makes
a dog look like

a prince. A little
terrifying is a room

that serves as all
the rooms and yet

lying on the bed
one can watch the stove

stay silver for as long
as sunshine reaches

for the sill. There
are days inside

each day that I
might call a little

lifetime. Blessings
are the clergy’s way

of naming little
joys. How long until

the little things
amass and try

revolt: little marching
dishes hightailed

for the hills,
where ants the size

of ants line up
along their little

mountains, heedless
of the fullsized

mounds that rise
above their heads,

eyes tilted down
and focused only

on each other,
the little things

that matter aren’t
little things at all.