Today spring cleaning must begin for real:
let winter’s dull and hibernating dust
find ends of brooms; quick, scour away the rust
to let the nearing sunlight glint reveal
the sparkled surface that has long been marred
by candles and their residue of ash;
and that stockpile of season’s greetings cash,
if not gone, spend it — load up the bank card
with fresh, green plants, and mulch, and potting soil,
with cleansers, rags, and sponges, buckets, too.
So little time is left, so much to do:
Let’s move it. Put the kettle on to boil.
Forget that lazy book or quiet game
of backgammon, or sleeping in ’til noon.
Ye gods, you know it’s very nearly June,
and we’re still hibernating. What a shame.
Hie forth with mowers, rakes, and pruning shears;
dust off the cobwebs and dried leaves from fall.
Pack up the sweaters, heavy coats and shawls –
We’ve got to push, now that the weather’s clear.
07 MAY 2005
