Anna Couani #188 the ideal house

the house is in a street

surrounded by leaves

overhanging trees

in perpetual sunshine

seems to hang

suspended in a previous decade

there’s a gentle breeze

but it’s warm

there’s the sound of a gate

not rusty but metallic

the latch clicks

the house is dusty

with old carpets

so sunbeams can stream

through the motes in the air

there are people around

not like in empty dormitory suburbs

people are visible

but not watched

it’s a short walk to the shops

a bicycle passes by

the two storeys of the weatherboard house

tell us it’s American

at least from an American movie

painted duck egg blue and white

has a fly screen door at the side

that slams sometimes

the entrance most used

leading to the kitchen

the front door

rarely used

opens off a veranda

with steps

people are at home during the day

there’s the quiet buzz of activity

the doors unlocked