The Irreplaceable Chair

We are always rearranging

the furniture
seasonal decorations
clean dishes, dirty dishes

and making room

for new
for better
for comfort.

When we get a new chair,
one of a kind
unique in all ways imaginable,
we make space-
throw out the old one
push the couch to side a little
squeeze the coffee table in the middle-

filling and removing
continuous rearrangements
for the beautiful chair.

But what happens when your new chair,
after getting settled in
with scrapes and bruises
stains and memories,
were to leave?

The room squeezed around it
and now the untouched carpet lines act
as a shadow
of the beloved chair that was once their.

Now we feel the absence
the emptiness
and we want to fix it

but how do we fill that space?

We try rearranging
move the couch in there
the coffee table over
but somehow,
when before it felt crowded
it now feels too spare.

When finagling and arrangemtents
cease to work,
we try a new approach
tell ourselves we needed a new one,
the old chair was broke
and attempt to replace
in the empty space
a new and better chair.

But at the end of the day

when we try to settle in

we miss the stains

and start to being

admitting

we miss the unique

fitting

one of a kind

irreplaceable chair.