Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Time Out


When I find myself unfit company for my fellow human beings, I am more content to work on order: weeding, pruning, even laundry.  There*s always laundry.  There*s also something about being able to produce something: a pile of weeds, for example, which begins to help bring things around.  Years ago now, going through the divorce from my son*s father, I made potholders on one of those metal looms.  Stacks and stacks of colorful potholders.  I found the loom in the closet this morning.  My husband knows the potholder story, and I think, is grateful that now I weed and prune and do laundry, instead of making potholders.  There*s symbolism in everything :) 

On the days I am not fit
For human company,
When I notice,
God willing I notice,
I give myself
A time out,
Strain to be pleasant until I can
Weed the yard.
Consider the laundry.
At least there may be something
Positive to show
When I*m done.

On the days I am not fit,
If I do not notice fast enough,
I hear raspberries,
Criticisms fast and furious,
Mine are the worst.
People tiptoe   tiptoe    tiptoe.
No placation
Is enough.

I sit in the middle of the lawn,
Weed the dandelions
Before they go to seed;
Prune the overgrown bushes;
Think about the sheets.

On the days I am not fit
I give myself
Time out
to breathe and weed and prune.
Time out
to wash the sheets.

Time out until I can find
The other side:
A heap of dandelions,
Branches tied in bunches,
Fresh clean sheets on the bed.

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