The Ghost Chime

I didn’t mean to stop beside the curb

or walk the path where weeds have split the stone.

I didn't think my presence would disturb

a house that’s clearly living on its own.

I pressed the button just to hear the ring,

a muffled 'ding' that echoed through the floor.

I waited for the lock to do its thing

or hear a heavy footstep near the door.

A stack of pizza menus, sun-bleached yellow,

are jammed into the screen door's rusty frame.

The light is on, a dusty sort of mellow,

but nobody is there to know my name.