My Saturdays are for order.
The sweeping of stairs
for dust bunnies and dog fur despair
for milky rings of coffee on counters
soured the color of graystone.
I always earn my keep, and keep
my place. I’m allowed the yard
the stipend of mowing
the payment of weeds.
I giant my vacuum room to room.
I moppet my bucket
wallow my buffed clouds
streak my windows clean.
The piss on the toilets of this house is mine.
The second hand smoke of love, mine.
Fallen nests under the eaves, mine.
Firewood stacked punked rotten, mine.
All those arguments shouted from bedrooms, mine.
All those flowers sent in apology, mine.
The vases scrubbed each time, mine.
I know what it takes to keep a house clean.
My Allowance
Photo © John Michael Swartz. All rights reserved.
