‘I adore order,’ she says, but as things start to slide-
‘as you can see, I’m anything but orderly!’
Distracted, absentminded, I may love Mise en Place,
but damn if I can stay en place…
Drawers open, contents spilling outward
socks
handkerchiefs
lacy underthings
counters linger in disarray,
notes
loose cash
rhinestone jewels
flashing amongst miscellany
I tweak her OCD, cluttered and disorganized
the dough is kneading in a mixer as I race
out to stoke a fire leaving a wake of flour
She follows behind organizing, straightening
Opposites attract, north and south magnets
You know, the hardest part of my life is putting myself away.
Close a drawer, put the feather earrings away.
There is a lone bobby pin on a shelf
And a lone coffee cup, mostly empty, lipstick imprint
sitting on a table, or the front desk as I make my way
out the door and breezing off to another place
where my en place is not in place…
Kate
This is so engaging. A relationship is depicted in the details both physical and analytic. “I tweak her OCD,” which to me is a marvelous line and a somewhat sardonic admission. How much do we change each other, after all? How much do we tolerate, because of greater feeling?
Thank you so much. I incorporated a marvelous line from a book that fit me so ideally I couldn’t not use it. I suppose it’s a bit sardonic, the OCD part; it’s one of my bosses who I adore, but I know my cluttered self irks her sometimes. But we are so connected. I’m so glad you could feel it in this!
like that