Monday, March 14, 2016

  Cleaning Up

The sink fills, the hot water turns the Dawn to suds,
To slight bubbles; these are last night’s dishes,
The ones we left undone, so now I make the clatter
And scrape of doing the undoing of the mess we made
Last night; things stick when left too long; the sponge
And steel wool scratcher help; pasta past its time
Begins to harden, clings to the plates, the tomato
Sauce becomes as much stain as substance, too much
Like blood left this long to even think of that analogy.
This is the morning after a meal that ended like this,
So much to clean up, so much to put away; I’m here
In the midst of it, a memory turned to this, the dishes
Emerging like new as the water cools, as I look off
In the distance wondering what else I could possibly do.
 
                                                            J.K. Durick


      Remembering

What vague generalizations
we’ve become
 
descending those stairs
silently crossing the hall
 
crossing over the sill
looking back    
 
one more time
 
and finally
closing the door.
 
                     J.K. Durick


              In Retirement
 
There’s a silence all around today,
Like yesterday, all along the street
The neighbors’ houses sit, quiet as
Grave stones, cars in driveways stay
Silent, lending a solemnity to it all
 
The birds and squirrels, the only
Other citizens of our world, are absent
Their presence would disturb this
Oddly perfect Thursday morning;
It comes down to this after all
 
After all the planning and loud voices
The choosing and choices, the things
We set in place and counted on, counted
Off, all the things we tried to be but
Never were, come down to this after all
 
Life becomes oddly perfect Thursday
Mornings, our calendar fills up with them,
Nothing to distract from the silence of
Them, even memories have failed us in
This morning, this presence we have become
 
                                                J.K. Durick

Helpless I do not know if good intentions prevail among the elected, among the appointed, leaving me apprehensive that the fate ...