To upgrade a kitchen,
Most people I know
Would hire an expert
And work with a pro.
I live in a rental,
Which limits the range
Of the choices I have
If I’m wanting a change.
So to spiff up my cabinets,
Boring and plain,
I decided that I’d go
Against the, um, grain.
For, instead of cheap plywood
Or particle board,
Some rustic aesthetic
Was what I aimed toward.
I found what I needed
And measured and cut.
The kitchen looks better
(At least to me!), but
I have to fess up
For it didn’t take much.
Contact paper provided
That cool farmhouse touch!
Salvaged trinkets from less mindful times,
doodads and trifles - mainly yours.
Electrical dinosaurs,
wrapped in wires and plugs – mine.
Not much furniture: particle board,
cheap impulsive clutter.
Browsers turn over knickknacks,
hope for an overlooked value;
we have none.
We have this jetsam, and this, and this
and that.
Treasures in-between bric-a-brac
and thingamajigs -
almost priceless, almost worthless.
I can still smell the musty clothes and particle board where the carpet was in this stale, empty room...
The humidity from last night's rain just adds to the dreary hollowness now...
The radio plays some static-laden, long forgotten song, and I sigh...
I sigh from the bitter emptiness and lack of laughter that is utterly apparent now...
I think back to the cold stares and my paranoid facination with the inevitable end...
The neglected trash bags in the corner give off a sweet and horrible stench...
My motivation has wandered off with my passion and they are probably half-way to Mexico by now...
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