Movin’ On Up

A plaque with a headshot above the text ‘Salesman of the Year 1979.’ The headshot is of a person with short shaggy hair that covers their ears. They have a thick mustache and eyebrows.

Wooden plaques

proudly line the mantle.

Sales awards that stack up to a

big promotion with

a brand-new blue

Chevy Celebrity

company car.

Engraved awards

next to dented cooking pots that ping

with each drip of water they catch

from our stained brown ceiling.

Two cooking pots beside each other.

Dad’s promotion prompts

Mom to hunt down

the perfect plot of property

where we can build a brand-new house.

The day they pour the foundation

we pile into the Celebrity

rushing with excitement to see.

I find a loose nail

and drag it through the cement

writing all our names,

even the cats.

Claiming that basement-to-be as ours.

The smooth gray slab seems small.

Our house will be humble but

fresh and

so brand-new.

Mom pores over carpet swatches,

countertop samples, and

blueprints.

Adding more windows,

more windows, more windows.

Planning for all that fresh natural light

to shine beautiful and bright

into our brand-new start.

A top-down floorplan depicting three bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, dining area, and living area. Fifteen windows are labeled around the outside of the floorplan.