Do you know how
to clean a kitchen?
I don't.
I start by surveying
Dirty dishes all around the house
Coffee cups and water glasses
Next to the couch
On the table
The TV cabinet
They left little rings
And drops that stick dust
Because I haven't dusted in days
The cups and the plates
Congregate next to the sink
With the half-clogged drain
And I dust every surface
Even the ones no one will ever see
Or even care about
I pick up to dust underneath
I get on my hands and knees
Because my mother taught me
That she will always know
If I don't
While I'm at it, I tidy the mess
The toys and the tools and the pens
All put in their places
And that chair in the corner
with the wobbly leg -
I might as well fix it...
In the corner with the fluffle
Of dustbunnies
Begging to be whisked away
And swallowed by
The vacuum machine
That was on sale
For one ninety-nine
And purrs like the upper-class
Oh, right, the dishes!
The very reason
For my cleaning-spree
Are lying abandoned
Waiting for me
For their whirl in the washer
That's not unpacked yet...
Half an hour to three.
Shit!
Unpack carefully
Don't chip anything
Then rinse and pack in
And unclog the damn sink
And mop up the puddles
With soap and espresso
Five minutes to go
The trash and the trash bag
Then scrub counter tops
...
"Do you even know
how to clean
a kitchen?"
A dish hits the floor
I jump
As it shatters
Survey the damage
"Of course not!
Look at this!"
Do you know how
To clean a kitchen?
I don't.
YOU ARE READING
Ill-Suited for Suburbia... - a poetry collection
PoésieHave you ever felt out of place? As if you should have been born in another time or life? Maybe a different state, maybe in a grand and bustling city-scape or on an island with a name no one can pronounce? Suburban life may be dull, but what if the...
