So What Living
So what if I have a landline
and a clothesline
and I wear housedresses and hair nets
and smoke a Camel or two
in the backyard with my friend Gert
who has a potbellied pig.
So what if I wear my rosary as a necklace
and slippers to the drugstore
and rub smelly salve on my chest
to ease congestion and
loosen the phlegm.
So what if I eat my cereal out of
the lopsided bowls I made in
Pottery for Seniors class
and have paint-by-number kittens on the wall
and a knitted doll with a wide skirt
slipped over a toilet paper roll
sitting on top of the toilet tank.
I live the life I have in the atmosphere I made.
So what’s it to you?
5 thoughts on "So What Living"
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I love this! “I live the life I have in the atmosphere I made.” is such a strong line
This is such a fully colored description of my life. Thanks for the words. Clotheslines in Europe last year were revelatory, as was learning that airdrying in the house keeps ALL the bacteria on the clothing (so not a sub for line drying outdoors).
I’m envious of your landline. I can only get voip out here where I am on my ethernet unless I want to fulltime radiate myself, which defeats the whole purpose of emergency redundancy service planning.
Having tried to travel to safer healthier places and failed due to the radiation, I now have to live the life I have in an atmosphere I make as well.
Thanks for the words.
A list that “lays it out” in beautiful, sometimes humorous, always honest detail!
I love this poem of yours Nancy! It just leads me all the way through— with me looking forward to each new line. So descriptive and easy to visualize–with so many good lines. Thanks for such a treat!
I can see the speaker, and her atmosphere.