I failed to see what was not there

The last two stanzas - I keep rereading them and chuckling! (Note to self: Send "I failed to see what was not there" to all family members who believe I should be able to read their minds...)

One thing I might consider changing here -- I'd take out the line, "my eyes received the usual images," and do like so:

something was amiss
amongst the familiar furnishings and decor

For someone going by the name "aphasic", you certainly have a way with words.