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Maid For The Ungrateful

She's thirty-three, single,
her Mom babysits her
five year old son.
She reassures herself it's
just two more hours,
then it's the blessed weekend.
Which means delicious sleep.
She has no nest egg,
she's just getting by.

There is one kind aging matron
who makes her lunch when she
cleans her large stately home.
Yet, other well-to-do homeowners
cast their false superiority heavy
in the air as she imagines wiping
off their smug faces with Pledge.

She hums to a catchy pop tune
while scrubbing toilets and
spraying down whirlpool bathtubs
as her muscles ache,
wishing she could soak in one.
Maid for the ungrateful,
she smiles remembering her
First Holy Communion,
her snow-white lacy veil,
with her rosary of pearlescent
ivory beads.
Then, a memory of 
teenage politics of high school
with random daydreams like
impromptu snapshots.

Her lips and throat dry from
those wretched aerosol sprays,
always forgetting her face mask.
A few sips of tepid Gatorade,
as she softly prays her son will
excel in school.
Her learning disabilities held
her back despite her gift of
intelligence.

This day's cleaning was at the
home of a lawyer's snooty wife,
who was lunching with friends
after klutzy attempts at tennis
at the country club.
Maid for the ungrateful,
can hardly wait to get home
to soak her worn feet with
warm water and Epsom salt
in a porcelain basin. ~


Copyright © | Year Posted 2024




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Date: 2/14/2024 5:22:00 PM
Nice poetry, Regina. I can remember back 59m years ago, first year in the Air Force, $76 every two weeks and a wife at home with a baby on the way. We cleaned home to make ends meet for a couple of years. Hard work, but the hardest part was being looked down on when we were doing our best. We knew that God was pleased that we tried to treat everyone like we wanted to be treated. Bless you or the woman in your poem, for doing what needed to be done. I respect her for that. Hugs, Bill
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Elliott Avatar
Regina Elliott
Date: 2/16/2024 2:33:00 PM
My deep thanks, Bill. My unnamed maid in my poem story is a composite of several other maids I worked with, and a little bit of me (the learning disabilities part.) We're kindred spirits in the looked down upon dept. But, despite that negative part, our Lord loves His salt of the earth. Blessings to you.
Date: 2/14/2024 3:18:00 PM
Great write! We must remember that those who serve around us are people.
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Elliott Avatar
Regina Elliott
Date: 2/16/2024 2:44:00 PM
Thank you so much, Kim. Our laborers, servers, and domestic workers are the salt of the earth loved by the Lord. I really appreciate you reading and commenting. God's blessings to you. ~
Date: 2/14/2024 11:01:00 AM
Hi Regina..,interestingly enough, this is a great read as I saw myself in it I ……. worked for very wealthy people tcaring for their children, but they were far from ungrateful!they wanted a top notch nnanny..This was in SF in a penthouse, and they had a maid too!But your Maid had a rough go, you made that artisically clear. The last five lines were splendid. At times kids are told they are limited,and it is true! Making this a Fav!Should be a POTD! Pangie xxx
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Panagiota Romios
Date: 2/14/2024 12:23:00 PM
I got the comment just fine! thank you. Pxx
Elliott Avatar
Regina Elliott
Date: 2/14/2024 11:16:00 AM
Hi dear Pangie, thank you so very much for the FAV, I really appreciate it. I'm glad you were treated well as a nanny. I was a maid in Raleigh, NC for a little while. So this poem has a little bit of me in it. Thank you for your encouraging support. Love & Blessings xoxx

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