A handwritten letter brought my world to a halt

The words, somehow foreign to me

Was this a consequence of something my fault,

Some joke I failed to see?

Slowly I sat, with a feeling of dread

A sensation of emptiness deep in my chest

At the close of this year, your lease ends, it said

For several stunned moments, I could not read the rest

Thirty-one years we had made this our home

The last several silent, without my wife

Then suddenly a call on the telephone

Confirming the letter - and the rest of my life

Where can I go?

What can I find?

Rents these days are not very kind

Something quite a bit smaller for sure,

And disposal of all those imagined treasures

In a real downsizing, with extraordinary measures

How much longer does my road go on?

Will it be worth all the bother and fuss?

All the routines and habits disrupted or gone . . .

Here's where omniscience would be a real plus

Well, I wasn't raised to whine and complain

So on with what's needed, with a good dose of laughter

Sold it all once before, guess I can do it again

Find a roof for my head until the hereafter

Where can I go?

What can I find?

Anything will do,

'cause I really don't mind

Long as I can write and joke with my friends

And listen to them laugh until this story ends