Inspired by the Word of the Day Challenge: Occupied

Photographer unknown

Is anybody in? Is anybody home

I wondered to myself late last night

as I walked up the porch stairs

at the house next door.

Photographer unknown

What am I doing here

with my fist in the air

should I  knock, should I tap

or should I just walk in

it was cold that night, on those stairs.

I wondered, out there in the cold and the dark

Is anyone watching tv in the living room.

eating a snack in the kitchen?

Or maybe they’re hiding under their beds

maybe they are reaching for their phone , for a light switch

because even though I haven’t knocked yet, or stepped through the front door

people always know I am there.

Photo A.M. Moscoso
” Upside Down House “
Wisconsin, Dells
October 2024