Today I will be the house person,
and do the washing.D
Today I will edit part of that story,
the one I have been writing for
ten years or more. :
Today I will make time for that walk,
(I don’t think so in this rain, such a shame….J )
Today I will ring my mother just to talk.(
Today I will get the shopping,
(I don’t think so in this rain, such a shame….J )
Today I will clean the bathroom,
And do the composting,
What are you crazy? (No, no, way!)
and sweep the floor,
and do the ironing, LMDN
What are you crazy? (No, no way!)
Today I will read my art readings, $·
and manipulate time ¹¾
so I can spread this one day
into a month of tomorrows
So all these readings
are achievable, all today.
Today I will be mother/ wife
and cook tonight’s diner,
and clean the kitchen,
and all the time thanking ,
our commercial/ industrial
first world lifestyle
for the dishwashing machine,
and vacuum cleaner,
and clothes washing machine
and all those other machines
that make it possible to fit all this in.
Blessed are those mechanical slaves,
For they are the true emancipators…..of women.
Today I will sigh as I fall asleep
and remember how busy I
was when the children were small.
And then thank my husband
for his understanding, why
for me the housework means nothing at all.
( Part Two) What I did yesterday That Rainy Wednesday 14/3/12
I wrote a poem, a list of all the things that needed to be done.
I rang my mother and remembered to tell her where her winter scarves were,
The tartan one, the pink one and the pretty green hand knitted one.
I got one load of washing done and used the drier only once.
I got one chapter of my book edited and finished just before
I got to cook, the family a meal of carcinogenic red meat,
the mushrooms and the onions and all those herbs for the greens.
The meal was consumed with red wine antioxidants, and then
I got the kitchen cleaned, with help of that mechanical slave and
The fifteen year old son, bless him, he did it without being told.
I didn’t get the ironing done, but that got done today, before
I wrote this poem. I didn’t get the bathroom cleaned, but
the floor did get swept. I didn’t get that walk I really need
the one for health’s sake, the one that will keep me alive.
I didn’t get one word read of any art history reading, that
I will do today, along with the washing, paying that bill,
that is overdue, the floors to be mopped, the shopping too,
OH!
I nearly forgot, my husband I didn’t thank you.
But I still remember how busy I was when, I was young,
but I didn’t sigh no, no way… not I.
As for housework, it seems to be what I do,
My existence is explained, for I am mother, wife, and daughter too.
But still, I dream to be much more, the poet, the writer, the artist,
yes all that and so much more.
That person deep inside that wells up every day so not to be,
DENIED, that I am human too!
