Thursday, June 29, 2006

What’s For Dinner

I swept the floor,
dabbing at the corners with extra care,
making sure every speck
of lint, leaf-piece, and
the memory of you
slammed into the dustpan
for one last free ride.

The sun backed over
linoleum cracks,
crawling over the African Violet
sitting on the kitchen window sill.
The door knob turned
letting dirt snuggle up to the lonely kiss
of forty five degree base boards,
asking what’s for dinner?

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

What IS for dinner?:)

Excellent poem, Pat.

~Nitoo Das~ said...

Bitter, lonely and self-deprecating all at once.

Very nicely written.

polona said...

wonderful, pat! you never cease to amaze!

Anonymous said...

VERY WONDERFUL & WELL DONE!! :o)

Anonymous said...

pat

didn't know you did house work.

very nice word painting. sweeps me away.

don

Kai said...

ur so not right......

calling aa tinkle bell?

meet me at my little chatbox @ kai's poetry...

Russell Ragsdale said...

Ah housecleaning as a form of therapy! Loneliness gets busy, served up with a struggling smirk. Be well Pat!

J Cosmo Newbery said...

There is anger. There is hurt. You poem seethes and at more than 45 degrees too.

Masago said...

The magic of creating a mood. Well done.

Neoma said...

the memory of you
slammed into the dustpan
for one last free ride.

Something very telling here, or maybe just to me........the words FREE RIDE.........hit a nerve or rang a bell or gave me a nudge.......been there............

floots said...

wonderful
lonely
and
tender

Don Iannone, D.Div., Ph.D. said...

This is nice:

"The sun backed over
linoleum cracks,
crawling over the African Violet
sitting on the kitchen window sill."

Fragmented said...

sometimes I do have all of these as my company too...

nicely put pat! just got back, I missed your poems!

Amalendu said...

good for home...
good for poem...

I lived through your poem with a sweet sadness...

gautami tripathy said...

This is GOOD!

Pat Paulk said...

Aa, whatever you're fixin'!! Thank you!!

Yes it is, thank you River!!

Polona, thank you for your continued support!!

Thank you Jon Cox!!

Thanks Don!!

Kai, I've been told that alot in my life!! Thank you!

Thanks Russell!!

J Cosmo, it does. Thank you!!

Thanks Vaughn!

Too many have!Thank you Nea!!

Thanks Floots!

Thank you Don!!

At garage sale prices, too. Thanks Lee!!

Luanne, I'm glad you're back. More glad you missed my poems. Avery nice compliment!!

Shyamalee, thank you!!

Gautami, thank you!!

Anonymous said...

touchingly sweet