The Old Gray House | Eastern North Carolina Now

Do you get a sad feeling when you see an old house?
An old house with sagging doors
broken window panes
perhaps a rotting old rocker on the porch?


Do you recall someone dear sitting there
snapping beans or hoping to catch a cool breeze?
Do you remember a family gathering there to talk
or to enjoy a sweet watermelon?


Perhaps you remember Christmases there.
Or cold snowy days when stove wood was stacked on the porch,
Or the first day the school bus stopped to pick you up
and a dear one walked you to the bus door?


Perhaps you recall Grandmas pansies growing beside the porch
Or the sound of Mama's voice calling "clean your feet!"
Remember the small brown dog never far from Grandpa's feet?
do you remember Grandma sitting by her table,
reading her bible by the glow of the oil lamp?
And the wreath hung on the door when she died.


These are a few of the stories that little gray house could tell
But only you could know the love, and warmth the house held.
If you like I, get a sad feeling when you pass by,
Thank God for the good memories, and the old gray house!

(Creswell NC childhood home of Frank W. Furlough)