I didn’t invite you in
but you came anyway
invading my spaces
You made yourself at home
spreading your possessions
in my fragile frame
Persistent repair work
drove you away
for a while
Too soon you were back
searching for nooks and crannies
to make your own
What’s so special about me
to make you stop and stay
hang up your hat?
We’ve learned to rub along
avoid eye contact
too much conversation
Love calls me to hospitality
to welcome the stranger
at my gate
even you
Jo O’Farrell
(still living with non-Hodgkin lymphoma)
November 2013