mopping out all lingering chaos…
the obsessive compulsive syndrome of
cleaning…
inside the kitchen mom was into new
online recipes
and papa immersed in his gadget with
the TV brewing out scams and scandals
and politics
and in-between climate change
discussions…like
the chewing gum in my funny little
brother’s mouth---
chewed, popped, hided under tongue,
pulled out,
stuck between thumbs and put back to
mouth, disgustingly…
mopping out all lingering chaos…
the obsessive compulsive syndrome of
cleaning…
outside the window there are hundreds
of windows
and one little tree at the end of the
lane that
talked in whisper to endlessly running
loud traffic
and pigeons perked up high on cables
running wayward
above those bakery men talking
politics with the pharmacists
and the ladies at the bus stop
complaining of adulteration,
of the milk and the sugar and the
fruits; slow poisoning of kids
mopping out all lingering chaos…
the obsessive compulsive syndrome of
cleaning…
but there is a room full of dreams at
the end of the day,
the cocoon of a little heart to fall
asleep for a while,
a forest of serenity, a false paradise to hold on...
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Love the refrain & the title. A beautiful poem.
ReplyDeleteI think in such a chaos it's not obsessive compulsion to clean...
ReplyDeleteSo many turns in this poem I love... the windows outside of the window gives so many possibilities
I like this description: "TV brewing out scams and scandals and politics"
ReplyDeleteThe title is intriguing.....and the words do not disappoint. Excellent use of repetition...and your descriptions are so specific in detail......oh I remember when my kids were little and they did that with their gum...but the obsessive compulsive cleaning...cleaning....cleaning. Fascinating write.
ReplyDeletechildren really have so little control over the world... as adults sometimes I think we fool ourselves into thinking we can control a certain amount... I like the pulling back of the cleaning and then the outreach of senses into the bigger world...
ReplyDeletewhat do bakers and pharmacists have to do with politics? i like the satirical take here, brilliant Sreeja!
ReplyDelete