I drew the doorway wide
Morning moved across the floor
Curtains breathed beside your bed
Rain kept its place outside
The branches woke you at the glass
so I raised the sill by inches
When winter found the window frame
I sealed the corners clean
You slept longer after that
The room no longer startled you
I marked the change in pencil
and thickened the next wall too
The room held warmth
The hinges held
The weather learned the line
Your chair fit closer to the center
where nothing could reach you
Every wall had a reason
Every latch had its place
I kept the weather from your skin
the branches from your face
If the room grew smaller
you had less to fear in here
Every wall had a reason
I built them all for you
The hallway carried footsteps
you heard them before I did
So I shortened it at the landing
and moved the door beside your chair
Your palm kept fogging the window
I fitted one that would not lift
No draft crossed the curtain after
No passing shape reached through the pane
Nothing under the door
Nothing at the pane
Nothing down the hallway
You could sleep now
You asked about the lock one night
I moved it to the inside
One turn
close to your hand
You turned it once
It would not turn back
The thicker wall had pressed the frame
tight against the bolt
I said that sealed it better
Every wall had a reason
Every latch had its place
The rain could break against the roof
No branch could find your face
If your breath came shorter
the room was holding warmer air
Every wall had a reason
I built them all for you
Every wall had a reason
Every seam is closed
The window keeps its perfect line
The lock stays turned within
Your hand rests beside the key
The curtain does not move
Every wall had a reason
There is nothing left to fix
Nothing under the door
Nothing at the pane
I checked the plan from inside
Your hand is still beside the key
The house is exactly as drawn