The boxes were still flat,

Bought in bulk,

Tape dispenser, labels, a fine fat marker shiny and new,

Repairs that had been untouched for years were suddenly finished,

New paint,

Fixed chips,

Replaced appliances,

He’s done this thirty-six times,

Shuffled from place to place like a rag,

She’s never blown in the wind,

Settled like and old mop left in the corner of the laundry,

Ten years of memories and dust to be packed away,

Ten minutes down the road but a lifetime to go,

Pack the first box,

It was all becoming real.