Her Adamant Face

Adamant Face
My mother used to say with an adamant face, "There is a place for everything and for everything a place!”
My goodness, this house is a total disgrace"

So every Tuesday at quarter past 4:OO
each person in our family had the same chore,
to straighten the house and pick up the floor.

We all sighed, then one replied,
“Where do we put things?”  
“Where do they go?”  
"Where did they come from?" 
"We don’t know!”
     "Just put things back in their original home.
      "Whatever you do, don’t let them roam"
       If you don’t know what it's called, 
      where to put it, 
      or what it does,
or you can’t throw it out or know it’s name because, 
it doesn’t have a match or
there is a piece detached ; 
then don’t give up, just keep your chin up. 
Leave nothing astray, but please be done by the end of the day"
"There is a place for everything and for everything a place" she reminded us with her adamant face.

Our cleaning began, and what did we find ? 
Interesting things of every kind.

Two birthday candles from my cake years ago, rusted nail clippers that trimmed my big toe.

A broken pencil with a very dull end, and a thank you card I forgot to send.

A soy sauce packet stuck to a fork, from a take out order of moo shoo pork.

 A spool of thread, the color red, when I sewed my clumsy thumb instead! 

Grandpa’s glasses missing one lens
My  sister’s retainer 
And 2 leaky pens 

A postal stamp 
A bread bag clip
The top to my mother’s pink lipstick. 

A germy cold lozenge when I had the flu.
A dirty lace from a tennis shoe.

Three receipts from CVS. 
A zipper from an old prom dress.

 Soon we finished, and one replied,
 “Our cleaning is done, we picked up the floor,
   No longer a disgrace anymore!"
 
"We put things back in their original home, 
 where they belonged and could not roam” 

“Mother, that place was the kitchen drawer!"  
 Our job is done, say no more!

Copyright © | Year Posted 2024



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Date: 8/5/2024 1:19:00 PM
" I sewed my clumsy thumb instead! " What a cleaning day.
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Date: 7/25/2024 6:09:00 AM
I love the rhyming, Marikate, you brought life and cheer to daily chores:)
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Date: 6/29/2024 5:34:00 AM
Mom knew how to run a crew. You can't get things done unless you crack the whip a bit (metaphorically). I renovate distressed houses. You'd be surprised at the things I find in cracks and corners
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Date: 6/21/2024 3:44:00 AM
lol here too many things find their way to the kitchen drawer, so turn it upside down every now and then on the living room floor and take a look at my hidden treasures, lol I really enjoyed your poem this morning over a cup of tea, at 6:43 am, all is quiet in the house for now. Have a great day xo
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Marikate Kingston
Date: 8/27/2024 5:39:00 PM
Gosh, I always forget to reply to other poet's nice comments. I'm sorry. Thank you, Mystic Rose Rose. In my house to find lost items, just check the kitchen drawer if you can get it open that is. :) LOL
Date: 6/3/2024 6:37:00 PM
Ha, this is cute! LOL- nice rhyming
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Marikate Kingston
Date: 6/9/2024 4:21:00 PM
I'm glad you liked it. :)
Date: 6/2/2024 8:36:00 PM
Your opening almost like Ecclesiastes! -- For everything there is a place // And for every place there is a thing... Send this off to Bob Dylan or 'the Birds,' and maybe you'll become rich and famous! A friend of mine put it a little differently: 'For every arse there is a seat, and for every seat there is an arse.' Arggghh! Cheers, gw
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Marikate Kingston
Date: 6/9/2024 5:13:00 PM
I have never thought of that Gershon, guess I better resurrect my bible from the basement and review Ecclesiastes. Ironically I guess, I missed church today, I guess I'm "going to hell in a hand basket" as my mother used to say w/ a wry smile. Rich and famous sounds nice. Tee hee!
Date: 4/27/2024 12:10:00 AM
For some obscure reason I have a drawer full of wires. I don't know where or what they belong to. I agree with Kelly; you have cleverly structured your fun poem. Great read. Cheers - Gary
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Marikate Kingston
Date: 5/4/2024 12:27:00 PM
Thank you for your nice comment Gary. I think more people than we know have a kitchen drawer or just a drawer somewhere in their house filled with things that have no purpose and no origianl place, altho' we are afraid to confess our mess. Does my family? I'll never tell. :)
Date: 4/21/2024 4:17:00 PM
Some things you just can't let go of... We, too, had what my Mom calls a "junk drawer" and I still do to this day... I like the way you structured this poem and how every little thing had a memory attached to it... Very clever and well written, Marikate :)
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Marikate Kingston
Date: 5/4/2024 12:32:00 PM
I had the idea for this poem when I was spring cleaning. Ugh. I think more people than will admit, have this type of drawer in their house. I must disagree with the mother with the adamant face, there is not always a place for everything and for everything a place, at least not in my house. Tee,hee.
Date: 4/19/2024 5:32:00 AM
This is absolutely delightful. You had me from start to finish. Bravo!
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Marikate Kingston
Date: 5/4/2024 12:38:00 PM
Oh gosh, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your nice comment Richard. It was a fun one to write. I admit we had a draw like that once, do we still have it? I plead the fifth. :)
Date: 4/18/2024 9:33:00 PM
lol you tell a good story one full of description and loving memories, that found its place real nice inside your heart, thank you for sharing a light hearted verse that makes me smile and think back of my moms special places, lol
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Marikate Kingston
Date: 5/4/2024 12:43:00 PM
Why, thank you, I'm pleased it made you smile. Hooray. It was fun to write, funny and silly. I admit to having that kind of drawer somewhere in my house, but I will never tell where. Shhh....
Date: 4/12/2024 8:22:00 AM
It sounds like hoarding. I do it too. Thank you for this funny, realistic poem.
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Marikate Kingston
Date: 4/17/2024 7:51:00 PM
Thanks! It was fun to write, but I guess it's too long. Not a big hit. As a child, we always had a kitchen drawer filled with everything but silverware. If you were told to pick something up and you didn't know where it belonged, you'd just stick it quickly in that drawer. Tee hee. Thanks for your comment Hilda :)
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