Filled the birdfeeders
and raked up dead leaves
Pulled out the rotting tomato plants
dropping their overripe fruit like
chastisement bombs
Cut down brown iris stalks
and mopped dark footprints off
the kitchen floor
Brushed my daughter’s hair
tearing through mud-colored knots as her
little body tried to dance away
Told you I was leaving
this time for good
Although maybe this isn’t a list
of things I did today
but things I could have done
oo nice twist in those closing lines...leaving us to wonder as well...the mud in hair made me smile and think of my boys...
ReplyDeleteLove the mud-colored knots....tore through a few of those myself!
ReplyDeleteI also liked how you left it a mystery as whether this was your done list...or your to do list..or maybe a bit of both! :)
Stopping by from dVerse The Pub
I'm smiling because I did most of the same garden-things. Hope the weather will let me finish tomorrow. The ending was a fun surprise. Victoria
ReplyDeleteI wrote a little reply to your comment over on the dVerse site about how there is only one voice like yours and we would all be the poorer if we didn't hear it. You're a brave and singular artist and this poem stopped me in my emotional tracks with those last three lines. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteSo did you or did you not? At least you new what you had to do, whether you did it or not..haha great twist at the end.
ReplyDeleteOh, nice! I really like this one.
ReplyDeleteoh, this is so sad...a heart wrenching surprise ending.
ReplyDeletewhoah! didn't see that ending coming - nice twist.
ReplyDelete