i was here

hello. this is your house; i’m aware.
i don’t know how to say this kindly, but

i was here
before you.

i was here
before that blonde house-flipper in the flannel made cheap renovations to the facade.
i was here
before the previous family fell into addiction and the house fell into squalor.
i was here
before the men in hard hats put together the 'good bones' the realtor told you about.
i was here
before ox hooves and wagon wheels left tracks in my mud.
i was here
before the first humans foraged for huckleberries and hunted deer in my foliage.

i was here
first.

i will continue to be here
after i’m done with you.