Letters in Every Room

I set my tripod

by the dusty window pane

To catch the afternoon sunlight before the rain

Just a young agent

taking pictures for the sale

But every empty corner tells a different tale

Behind the kitchen cabinet a faded pencil line

Marked a height at seven,

then at nine

Up in the master bedroom under peeling paint

I found a hidden envelope,

the script was faint

"For your first heartbreak when you think the world will end"

And on the closet door,

another to a friend

Hundreds of small notes tucked away inside the floor

From a father who couldn't stay anymore

I left you letters in every room To chase away the quiet

and the gloom

I couldn't watch you grow,

but I wanted you to know My love is built into these

wooden beams

I left you letters

for all your dreams (sweet child of mine) Years later the front

gate creaks on the hinges cold A grown-up daughter steps inside,

the house was sold

She walks the hallways where the childhood drawings hung

And finds the paper trail of songs he never sung

She pulls a letter from a baseboard in the hall

And lets her heavy teardrops start to fall

(oh father, I'm home)

I left you letters in every room To chase away the quiet

and the gloom

I couldn't watch you grow,

but I wanted you to know My love is built into these

wooden beams

I left you letters

for all your dreams She opens up the window

to the golden light

And reads his final note into the fading night

"Go live your life,

my darlin', do not be afraid"