Burnaway

905 Second Street

in the shed, crooked nails left to be hammered out
tell me of that person’s life during the Great Depression

I found a wooden block in there with “be my valentine” carved on it
I kept it, because its clumsiness felt familiar

under the house my husband found a gas pipe plugged with a wine cork
I guess this is how people solve problems

when I painted over the wallpaper in the bedroom
I could see that there was a second layer of wallpaper beneath it

our relationship with homes is symbiotic
the building shelters our bodies, and we slow the house’s demise which comes
long after us

from the accompanying exhibition text by Rachael Zur

Residual Dwelling is on view at Wavelength Space in Chattanooga through May 14, 2021.