Sentinel spirits

She will leave her heart
at the gate of sorrow
of the abandoned house
where the honeysuckle
grows wild on the fence
and the ghosts
of her parents
keep watch
from an upstairs window
longing for a glimpse
of the whimsical child
in white petticoats
who played in the yard
making daisy chains
and chasing butterflies
echoes of her laughter
lifting on the breeze
and captured in a jar
that they keep
on the window ledge
awaiting her return

Joy
©joybirdpoetry