I can’t sleep between sheets, hot with the day
That tugged at my nerves until they were raw,
And so I will find myself on hands and knees,
Between plastic bottles and buckets that slop
With steaming hot water, smelling of bleach.
Scrubbing at marks that hardly exist,
In the desperate hope that it washes away
The unfortunate pain of a world is mad
With perfection and abundance, unattainable to you.
You wipe and you dust, thinking it helps
Spraying those bottles scented with lemon
And hoovering powders from thick, shaggy carpets.
You can clean and make tidy, but never it changes
That the raw disinfectant that eats at your skin
And eats into night hours at 2:37;
It won’t clean away the spots and the blemishes
Clouding the life that keeps you awake.
Better to sleep and rinse out the brain,
Tangled in sheets, unwashed and creased.
Margot Kinberg
I think people have all sorts of ways of coping with those 2:00 AM monsters, Rachel. Getting a good night’s sleep would be a lot healthier, but that doesn’t always happen. And if you’re going to be ‘battling monsters,’ I suppose cleaning isn’t the most self-destructive thing you could do.
clcouch123
Hmm, I was washing dishes in the middle of this past night. Forsaking the fall-back from Daylight Saving Time as well. I know I should have been sleeping or trying, but I wasn’t. Now I’m tired. Still here but tired.
Well-expressed middle-of-the-night description!
patientandkindlove
Everyone’s been there at some time in their life!
Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet
I have read several of your posts. Teaching does have its ups and downs. Maybe you would enjoy some anecdotes on my website, “Gulf Coast Poet.” If you are are interested, click” Stories of a Retired Teacher.” on the website menu.
All the best! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
patientandkindlove
Merry Christmas to you too!