Imaginary Mansion by Tim King

I live in a house full of unexplored rooms
Doors I’m scared to open
Because, as a child,
I once or twice glimpsed adult fears:

Festering in puddles at the base of stairs
Hanging in thick membranes
Over cold metal windows
Seeping through the mortar lines
Separating brick from brick
And pissing on the twisted embers
Of ill-made wormwood fires

Though I live in a house much larger than yours
The stench is unbelievable
I occupy less space