From battles afar, the soldier returns, To a home that's changed, where the heart still yearns. Spouse wears a smile, but it's laced with fear, For behind the joy, things fall, disappear. Clogged toilets groan with a sorrowful song, While dogs feast on scraps where they don't belong. Boxes are stacked, the house feels adrift, Moving chaos in the midst of this rift. They dance through grapevines, dogs race with glee, As teeth mark the ruin of what used to be. Roaches invade the car's shadowed lair, Pointing to problems needing repair. Yet in this turmoil, in this wild retreat, Love's there in fragments, though incomplete. Turn by turn, they learn to rebuild, In the heart’s quiet, where calm is instilled.