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     This poem is one of my favorites, written by a man named Edgar A. Guest, I found it in a wonderful old 1958 paperback titled "One Hundred and One Famous Poems".

"It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it home;
A heap of sun and shadder, an' ye sometimes have to roam
Afore ye really 'preciate the things ye lef' behind,
And hunger for 'em somehow, with 'em allus on yer mind.
It don't make any differunce how rich ye get to be,
How much yer chairs an' tables cost, how great  yer luxury;
It ain't home t' ye, though it be the palace of a king,
Until somehow yer soul is sort o' wrapped 'round everything.

Home ain't a place that gold can buy or get up in a minute;
Afore it's home there's got t' be a heap o' livin' in it;
Within the walls there's got t' be some babies born, and then
Right there ye've got t' bring 'em up t' women good, and men;
And gradjerly, as time goes on, ye find ye wouldn't part
With anything they ever used - they're grown into yer heart:
The old high chairs, the playthings, too, the little shoes they wore
Ye hoard; an' if ye could ye'd keep the thumb-marks on the door.

Ye've got t' weep t' make it home, ye've got t' sit an' sigh
An' watch beside a loved one's bed, an' know that Death is nigh;
An' in the stillness o' the night t' see Death's angel come,
An' close the eyes o' her that smiled, an' leave her sweet voice dumb.
Fer these are scenes that grip the heart, an' when yer  tears are dried,
Ye find the home is dearer than it was, an' sanctified;
An' tuggin' at ye always are the pleasant memories
O' her that was an' is no more - ye can't escape from these.

Ye've got t' sing an' dance  fer years, ye've got t' romp an' play,
An' learn t' love the things ye have by usin' 'em each day;
Even the roses 'round the porch must blossom year by year
Afore they 'come a part o' ye, suggestin' someone dear
Who used t' love 'em long ago, an' trained 'em jest to run
The way they do, so's they would get  the early mornin' sun;
Ye've got t' love each brick an' stone from cellar up t' dome;
It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it home."