wish you were here

Uncategorized 1 Minute 
Sorry we didn’t see you at the pond this morning 
where wakes tapered in
to the pointy bows of green plastic boats
and ducks skied to settling
and the grass was clear and neatly mowed.

I hope you had a nice break, perhaps a cup of tea
with your feet blissfully on the couch, that elephant cushion
supporting your back and a slice of fruit cake crowned with almonds
left over from Christmas on a cherry blossom plate.   

Perhaps, like us, your house is overwhelmed 
with shaved soap, unfurled toilet paper rolls, the unheeded dirty dishes 
of enthusiastic early cheffing, rockets made out of paper and 
a matching stomp pump fashioned from a 3 litre milk container, 
and two soft green dragons staring wistfully 
through the windows of glassed eyes. 

Perhaps the conditioner simply fell out of its bottle and now,
on the bath’s edge, is in an ice-cream container of water, 
forming sweet smelling islands, gelatinous and queer.  

And perhaps, every time you try to listen to music, 
your choice magically mutates away 
into Imagine Dragon or Skimble Shanks or Beethoven’s 5th
and you stop singing to your ‘80s favourites
or the bands that remind you of University days
and wash up a cup lined with bees wax that’s never coming off
and will go back onto the counter exactly as you found it
nobody quite knowing how to make it useable again.

If you’re like me, you’ve decided it’s pointless 
to clean the house.  You’ll swim through for now,
choosing elective blindness, appreciating school teachers
and wishing you’d got away and gone to the pond.

Published by abigfatcanofworms

We all walk in the dark. But if we hold hands, perhaps the dark won't be as scary.

Published

16 thoughts on “wish you were here”

  7. I really enjoyed this reflection and all the details you describe as you take us on a tour, and how the ending ties in with the beginning. Love the phrase “gelatinous and queer.”

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  8. Wonderful stuff. Reading your poem I thought of my daughter’s house now the kids are on holidays. Your descriptions are so vivid and poetic. Your resigned attitude to housework sounds like the best solution to it all.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. I’ve been so much of it for months! This rental was dirty when I moved in and today I have the real estate agent coming for the inspection they do when you’ve been renting for three months. Oh boy – I am over cleaning! At least I don’t have kids to add to mess. As it is I have tendency to leave scattered ends behind. I get out a file of papers and leave the open file on the desk etc. I’m trying to retrain my brain to be neater. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

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