Variations on a Theme

I
Some say a vacuum’s crack
But I never spurned my lack
For heavy machinery is often detri mental
In minds where thoughts are absental
Better, I say, to leave a little dust in crevices
Than to leave men to empty surmises
A void is space galactic.
(Avoid assays eclectic)
But, if you will have a vacuum, let it be electric.


II.
Jodhas of lint spur Mark to exert
Himself in such flurry and spurt
That rigorously he fumes,
And vigorously vacuums;
That’s why he’s the world’s expert on dirt.


III.
Lines Composed a Few Inches Above Linted Carpet

Five weeks have passed, five Saturdays, with the length
Of five long Mondays! and again I see
These dust bunnies, wallowing in their darkened corners
With a soft desperate murmur—“It is time!”—
Do I behold the attachments and hoses
That on an idle sequestered machine are at rest.
Thoughts of more deep derision…. And neglect
The disarray with a blink of my eye.
The day is come when I again repose.
No! under this dark, dim roof, I rue
These spots of garbage ‘round, organic dust,
Which during this week, with their unsightliness
Are spread in one gray mass, and lose themselves
‘Mid books and vases. Once again I see
These small specks, hardly small specks, little armies
Of spiteful blots overrun these pitiable rooms,
Screaming to the very door in wreaths of motes—
Lint, up in violence from among debris.
With some uncertain notice, it may seem
That vagrant dweller in the house is shamed;
But no. Such is her case, where by the fire
The Hoover sits alone.

October 1995--written during a dusting of inspiration

All three of these poems were the product of about two hours one evening as I procrastinated (surprise!) vacuuming. Part III is formulated after William Wordsworth's "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey" (Compare my poem with the first stanza of Wordsworth's!) Wordsworth wrote, "No poem of mine was composed under circumstances more pleasant for me to remember than this..."

Other things I abhor

I have alluded to my least favorite household chore: vacuuming.

Here are a few other things I detest:

1. Seeing people spit in public or the evidence that spitting has occurred.

2. Hearing/seeing fingernails being clipped in public. (Lawyers are notorious for grooming themselves and letting the little shards fall where they may. Some lawyers strew shards in their professional lives too.)

3. The dismissive "whatever." That is such a lazy comeback. Find a specific word in our vast English lexicon to say what you mean, people! "Whatever" is like a shrug instead of a wave.

4. People who misquote to promote their own agendas and ideas. (Yes, I'm treading on the toes of many journalists who've forgotten what "free press" really means.) Soundbits and elliptical statements rankle me.

Next time: Books I am currently reading.

Dream List

Wouldn't it be nice if the only thing I had to do this weekend were SLEEP? Alas, sleep I cannot enjoy yet.

But I can take power naps every few hours! Eventually the essays will all get graded.

I'm rearranging my guest bedroom and letting it double as the sitting room with the sleeper sofa. So what to do with the other bed? Dismantle it. Get rid of the old tattered boxsprings, store the bed frame in my wonderful storage shed, and put the extra mattress on top of my own bed. I've been sleeping like a princess the last few nights. My feet don't touch the floor if I sit on the edge of my bed, but I'm sleeping on a cloud above the linted carpet and worries of the day.

Linted carpet... That reminds me of a poem I once wrote patterened after Wordsworth's "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey." Mine is humbly entitled "Lines Composed a Few Inches Above Linted Carpet." I'll share it soon.

In the meantime, I need to call a cleaning service to get help with mopping and vacuuming. The latter is a chore I abhor.