There Are Centipedes in the Basement

​(There are centipedes in the basement,
I don’t want to upset you, but how will we ever
Feel at home upstairs? I mean,
In the living room, we’re charming and clever,

And have been for so many years. It would
Be nice to regain that space, to see
What’s down there, old relics, embarrassing Childhood pictures, bric-brac, debris,)

I think we would feel more comfortable 
Upstairs. Throw open the windows and let
Some sun in here, you know, that crisp
Warmth that comes with the first violet,

Then everything is there all at once,
And even as they change, they are all
Still. We are walking through a world
Or a world is walking through us. The thrall

Is gone, a squirrel came through the window
And ate our bread. Across the street, 
The pine doesn’t move. It just seems more green,
The sidewalk’s old cracks in the concrete.