A New Home By Jerry L. Hurley We blew into town in Dad's Chevrolet pulling a U-Haul to a house which was on the way to the center of town with its restaurants and shops and the courthouse of bricks with two smiling cops. Maybe we would stay here, for a while anyway, in this Florida town on the Apalach Bay. I wondered how long when Dad turned with a wink, in Apalachicola which was much more than a drink. "Here's our new home", he said pointing right so I turned my head slowly to a colorful sight. The house was all green except for orange shutters and flowers were blooming in the rusted rain gutters. The porch sagged to the left, its roof sagged to the right and it looked kind of haunted I thought with delight. The house sure had character it was easy to see as we walked to the door our hand held the key. The door slowly opened on one red-rusted hinge and small critters scattered causing Mother to cringe. Mouse droppings and cobwebs both above and below, we all thought for sure we'd moved to skid row Mother quick-set her jaw and yelled, "Bring me a broom, a bucket, a mop and we'll start with this room. We dusted, we scrubbed, washed windows and cursed and slowly but surely took care of the worst. We unloaded the beds, a few chairs and a table. We set everything up until no longer able. We slept like the dead all through the night to awaken at dawn with first splash of daylight. We explored our new town the very next day and met some of our neighbors here by the bay. This wonderful town where everyone waved was a place from the past where everyone craved a pace that was slower, a place to make friends, a place set apart from fast moving trends. Sure the house needed makeup, a facelift, some jewels. We rolled our sleeves up and got out the tools. We settled right in, for the long haul we'd stay in a home on the bank of the Apalach Bay. ~In tribute to Ann Prescott~ My Buddhist friend who loves haiku and senryu poetry. #1 I happened upon the gathering of poets. A lone chair beckoned. #2 Gautama beckoned, come rest by the river and be silent with me.