Housework

Copied from another blog,
this cartoon loosely quotes
the late Phyllis Diller, whose
opinion of housework is
nothing short of brilliant.

Rare day of work at home alone but
still, it's easy for so many other things
to sing their siren songs. In fact, I listen
for their call. They have my full
attention unless cast aside to focus
on some lesser task, though needful.
Phone calls, practicing a song, a speech.
I reach into my mind for even this, this
simple poem, to keep me busy and
distracted, not just from housework
but from stubborn, fearful, selfish thoughts
of wishing for a different day. But just
the knowledge that I could, if I were so
inclined, get in the car and drive away,
go to the beach, walk beneath a perfect
sky and smell the salty air, or drive
for hours more until I reached a mountain
road where honeysuckle grows along
a fence and air is heavy with its sweet
perfume...or I could hop aboard a plane
and wind up anywhere I could afford to
go. Just knowing that the possibilities are
endless, in a way, makes it a good and
decent choice to lay aside my musings,
rolling up my shirtsleeves, so to speak,
and bring the order back to outer life
that's mostly lacking deep inside.


(c) Ellen Gillette, 2013