By the time I get to it
My tea tastes of nothing
It started
As I swam back to
Consciousness
In the hour before dawn
Discipling the dogs as I came downstairs
Starting a pot of coffee
Mixing spices for the chicken I’m roasting
At 6:30 in the morning
For the evening meal
Next, it’s shoes, cleats actually
Wet from yesterday’s game in the rain
‘Put them in the drier,’ I said sagely
Thirty minutes later my Sweeper
Or is it Centre Back
Exposes unglued souls
Panic ensues
There’s a game today
The nearest store is an hour away
My schedule is packed
She finds the gorilla glue
I turn to social media
Confident other soccer moms
Have cupboards full of cleats
In various sizes
As do I
Cleats are offered
The glue has stuck
And I think this child
Won’t become known
In the annals of soccer
As Shoeless Suki K
Work – some work must be done
On deadline
Before 9 this morning
After the kids leave for school
And return for
Forgotten things
I sit, copy and paste
Write a few abstracts
Distracted by the doctor directed
Reduction in coffee consumption
The dogs suddenly
Need to go out
I can’t ignore the barking
At the door
I have less than 10 minutes
To deadline
They’re out, then in
I answer an email
Post to the website
Check social media
Searching for replies
To interview requests
I sent out before 7 am
Inappropriately early appeals
To parents
Of school-aged children
We are a cadre of early risers
Whether we want to be
Or not
9:05 the chicken is cooked
The dogs are pooped
I turn the ringer on the phone off
Close all the curtains
Lock the doors
And sit down to write
Taking a moment to
Reflect
Regroup
Relax
Listening
To the sound of running water
In the fish tank
The white noise overhead
From the heat pump
Too soon
The hour I carved
For creative preservation
Is over
There’s an email from a teacher
Homework hasn’t been handed in
The chicken needs to be dissected
Bones and skin for broth
Dogs need to be walked
again
I don’t want to think of what’s next
My jaw clenches as I review my schedule
I miss the early days of the pandemic
When all we had to do was stay home
Thankful for the exemption from the world
But right now
Now
I must remember
To eat
Brush my teeth
Wash my face
Apply deodorant
Leave the house
And drink my tea
