Monday, May 29, 2017

Heavenly Chores

Yesterday, my aunt Jean and cousin Bucky and I brought flowers to the graves of family members. Although their earthly remains are at their grave sites, we know that they themselves are no longer there. So where are they, and what are they doing? Some possibilities are explored in the following poem.





Outsourcing

They all prayed my father would rest in peace
whereas he I’m quite certain was much
relieved to discover a long list of chores awaiting
a watchmaker’s skills in the heavens

Spinning galaxies
               wobbling off axis
                              spewing
               s  t  a  r  d  u  s  t
               were long overdue
for synchronization

And angels were in need of precise adjustments
        to maintain their hairspring balance
                            on the head
                                  of a
                                  pin

Meanwhile, my mother
  was awarded a route filling
      neglected hummingbird feeders
          with ruby nectar

               My friend Joan assists overtasked bees
               in pollinating the almond trees

My grandmothers ensure that pies
don’t bubble over in the oven

And when my time comes
I’ll be the one who makes your
book of poetry open to
j  u  s  t
the right
    page

1 comment:

  1. This made me cry. I am not a poet but I am certain that my father is singing and leading some choir in heaven for everyone's enjoyment. But in between my Mom and Dad are waltzing on the clouds. Dad liked to teach people to do the old dances like the fox trot. In between dancing and I'm sure Dad is challenging everyone to game of chess. And Mom and Gram are cooking the good old Polish dishes for everyone

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