My Mom was always tired
And stressed out then
Like a old rubber-band
That snaps unexpectedly
When pulled
I thought it would be good
To be helpful and make her happy
So one day while she was away
I vacuumed
I was very happy with myself
I vacuumed the whole house
The upstairs too
After two hours,
I laid down on my bed
Wiped the sweat off my caterpillars,
And played “Old Faithful” with my blisters
I couldn’t wait to see her face
All lit up
The way it used to
To feel the house
Without those invisible prickly needles
That make you watch your step
And your mouth
When the car drove up
My heart crowed and
Pranced in my chest
She’ll be so proud of me I thought
As I ran downstairs to greet her
She’ll take me in her arms
And hold me like she’ll never let go
Then she’ll whisper
How much she loves me
Play with my hair
And poke my nose
But when she opened the door
They rushed back in
Filling every inch
Of every freshly plowed room
The needles were back
Little electrocuting stingers
Froze me in place-
Raising the hairs
On the back of my neck
“I vacuumed…” I managed
Heart plucked and strangled
Her eyes scanned the carpet
But no light came to her face
Through a cinched mouth
And icy eyes she said
“You missed a spot”
BD 1992
Related
the pit
moving on
stability