They flutter like red-gold confetti
A nuptial mass of hopes
well tempered by
PING
I put a load of washing on. Could you deal with it later? Ta.
by experience.
A nuanced word
for resignation
PONG
Medication reminder
Yes, yes, I took that before breakfast.
Talking to a phone.
Eye-roll emoji.
Enjoy every sunset in
the season of goodbyes
Yuck.
KNOCK
The flouro clad back of the postie.
She rides an electric scooter.
Almost my age
but still working.
Book on the doormat.
“How To Look After Your Brain”.
It won’t get read, of course.
File with the others.
Where was I?
Memories.
Recollections more colourful
than today’s drab prospect,
another medical con
PONG
Thank you for choosing the LubDub heart monitor.
Follow the link to complete the registration process.
PING
If you go down to the village, could you see if they have any fresh passionfruit?
Sure.
It’s for the cream sponge, a ritual almost as old
as the young man whose birthday it will mark.
I recall passion
fruit.
More vivid, him riding his little
push car around the house
plastic wheels rumbling
over red-gold polished boards
bare feet pattering
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
What the hell is that. Not the washing
machine, it’s five beeps and out.
Not the recliner couch
I can’t hear that anymore.
One of the blinds?
Ah, the dishwasher. F11.
Blockage.
Fortunately I know the drill and it
KNOCK
For fuck’s sake.
Wash hands dry hands open door pick up new kettle. The greedy Big A bastards aren’t even putting boxed items in shipping boxes any more. Just a sticker with name and address straight on the packaging. Suppose that’s not a bad idea. The new vacuum cleaner came the same way. They had even slit the carton open to insert the spare dust bags. Sixteen hundred bucks for a barrel vacuum cleaner. Should’ve gone with the robot model, but couldn’t quite trust it. Like driverless cars, except indoors. He grinned like crazy has he zoomed down the hall to get the chequered tea-towel.
.
.
.