ON RETURNING HOME
FROM VACATION
TO FIND DIRTY LAUNDRY
IN THE HALLWAY
Aired April 24
Oh!
No use feigning surprise - it's still right there where
I left it
There's been a general lethargy lately, an
unrelatedness to things
Bad housekeeping as desuetude
I'd rather burn it or give it away
than haul it to the washer one more time
Let it lie where it falls I say,
let those sleeping dogs lie
some lies speak truth
Let it go
and if it won't
step over it til you feel like doing it again
Get creative about the piles
leapfrog over them
Use them for cartwheel cushions
Make some beanbag chairs
Stare at them until you have visions
When the company comes
throw the laundry in the back of the car
or into the dishwasher
Use the piles for altars or impromptu naps
Pretend it's fall and the dirty clothes
are dead leaves
with an especially soft crunch underfoot
Use them as a safety blanket
next time you're overtaken by laughter
at the prospect of doing laundry
Memo to myself:
Stay away longer next time
Or in the alternative, just move to Paris
where people walk and eat
but not enough to dirty their clothes, ever,
surely
- by Peyton Wolcott
Los Angeles, California
© 1999
