Yesterday I cleaned out cupboards
instead of organising words.
I removed the pots and pans,
checked that they were spick and span,
and placed them on the work top.
I marvelled as bubbles appeared in soap
and water when I dipped a cloth into the bowl,
laughed when a bubble sparkled, whole,
and floated up towards the ceiling.
Wiping hard, I enjoyed the feeling
of the circles I was making in the grime
that had collected over time,
the way the task had become fun,
and the beauty of a task well done.
Kim M. Russell, 25th October 2023
Image by Justus Menke on Unsplash
Sumana is hosting What’s going on? this Wednesday with an ode to the mundane. She says that Neruda’s ‘Ode to Tomatoes’ makes the ordinary extraordinary by expressing his deep passion for the world’s simplest wonders; Thomas Hood raises the mundane drudgery of the work-life of a seamstress to a majestic level in ‘The Song of the Shirt’; Ezra Pound’s two line poem ‘In a Station of the Metro’ captures the meeting point between the sublime and the mundane; and Wendy Cope’s ‘The Orange’ is about everyday life, in which the focus is on speaker’s ordinary day at work and how everything is sweetened, made joyful by being in love.
Our challenge is to find beauty in the mundane.
writing in north norfolk 
Your words are spick and span, sparkling and whole. Love how the stark simplicity of an ordinary chore creates beauty. A fun read, Kim.
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Thank you, Sumana. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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I agree with Sumana. This poem is alive. As it happens, I cleaned out my pots and pans cupboard yesterday, too, deciding which to take to my new retirement home apartment and which to let go of. I too rejoiced in a job well done, but didn’t have the bubbles or the circles. Your poem makes me want to go back and do it again. Love LOVE your poem.
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Thank you, Susan, and what a coincidence!
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Oh I love this and I particularly resonate with the cloth dipped into water.. It is a favorite image of mine from childhood when blackboards were wiped clean with a basin of cool water and a lucky chosen child with a rag to dip.
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I’m delighted you liked it!
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That is a satisfying feeling, and the photo shows a job well done. This made me smile. Thanks!
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Thank you, Sherry!
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Oh, there definitely is something to be said for organizing and cleaning. When the job is completed, it is so very satisfying. And, isn’t it amazing, how the circles one makes in the grime eventually makes the grime disappear, and the pan looks ALMOST new! I enjoyed this, Kim.
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Thank you, Mary.
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There’s something very satisfying in this kind of work, as others have noted. (K)
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There is, Kerfe, although there are days when it’s a grind, I still get pleasure from housework.
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Certain tasks are easier for me than others. But even the ones I dislike provide satisfaction at the result.
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Polishing sentences, and pots — there’s a different kind of pleasure in both.
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I do get pleasure from housework. My favourite task is ironing while listening to a radio play or story.
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The beauty of a job well done.
Yes, there is satisfaction in making something messy look attractive. I used to feel that way about ironing. No more.
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🙂
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Wonderful piece Kim… 🙂✌🏼🫶🏼
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Thank you kindly, Rob.
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