Restoration (2020)
Emily Ford
The news gutted me
It gutted me the way they gut the old row houses
On G Street
When strangers come
To tear down familiar walls
With sledgehammers--
Beating and breaking
Stirring up dust and noise
Ripping out wiring, tearing up floors
Until raw beams are exposed
Between ceiling and foundation
A fresh laid plan, streamlined
Walls moved back
Everywhere space
A sleek hearth of tempered glass
Cool to the touch
Mirrors reflecting cold sunlight
Casting dim and coreless shadows
Absent of what was
But the exterior the same