Housekeeping

you couldnt really call it that.
beating the scorpions out of the mat.
barring the door to the bruin attack.

watching the soddy ceiling cave
with hidden nests the snakes had made
watching the blizzards sweep right in.

and the locusts too. what was it so sustaining you.
how did you fight so tooth and nail
you who came from the leafy east

to face the wilderness in the Beast

who cried because there were no trees anymore.
how did you fight against the dust the whirlwind'S sky
the lightning 's lust

the poisoned berries and the musts

that never could slow you down
or else a child might drown
or be stolen by tribes.

Good God the fight you fought just to stay alive.
while making the candles and the soap
and everyone's clothes

nobody knows.

how can we gripe at chores
who merely mop the floors

when every second of your day
keeping the fire and the gloom at bay

drawing the water from the well
you made a home at the mouth of hell.

mary angela douglas 21 april 2020