HOUSEKEEPING

I clean the corners of the ceiling.

Weaving spiders sent outside reeling.

Housekeeping gives me an odd feeling.

I write my name on the cloudy coffee table,

erasing words with the rhythm of Betty Grable.

Housekeeping is not fun or a fable.

Dust bunnies roll across the hardwood floor.

I find the vacuum turning on a roar—

doing a dancehall dance from door to door.

Housekeeping is a dreaded chore.

April Ryan

April Ryan is a retired Seattle bus driver and prolific writer, often published in Northwest Prime Time, among other places. This poem is an excerpt from an anthology called Housekeeping, a new eBook collection of thoughts on the topic—link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B3M4KW2.

SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for and about the 50 plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).

SHARING STORIES is featured on http://www.northwestprimetime.com, the website for Northwest Prime Time, a monthly publication for baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those contemplating retirement. The newspaper can be found in the greater Seattle area and other Puget Sound locations. For more information, call 206-824-8600 or visit http://www.northwestprimetime.com. To find other SHARING STORIES articles on this website type “sharing stories” in the search function above.