Today my dishwasher became a dish dryer
as my husband creatively used the rack to stack
the freshly washed dishes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A huge reminder that we can\u2019t afford
repairs or a new one
it doesn\u2019t fit into our new ultra
conserve on everything,
skinny jeans tight
budget<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and he doesn\u2019t like it
I made him wash dishes by hand
the first time in 10 years
and I don\u2019t have the energy to say thanks
thanks for something I have done for years
without anyone asking
except when someone says
\u201cmom there\u2019s no clean dishes
we\u2019re out of glasses,
I can\u2019t find a fork!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I unload the dishwasher everyone sees filled
and load it up with 3 more loads that day
but now that it\u2019s broken
I don\u2019t want to be stuck
with one more thankless job
of washing glasses as well as pots
spending hours
at the sink
seeing the splash marks on the tiles
like little eyes peering at me
guilting me into seeing one more thing
I don\u2019t have time to clean<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My hands getting repeatedly burned
and then frozen
when I can\u2019t get the temperature right
reaching into an overflowing sink
spilling over like waves over the breakwater
of a kitchen counter
flowing like Niagara Falls
over the edge
onto my feet
I hate that
not noticing until I\u2019m already wet
my socks dripping
torn whether I should just
leave them on to mop up the next spill
I know will happen
minutes from now
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

my hands are prunes
and if I\u2019m not careful
buy the wrong dish soap
they\u2019ll be dry and hurting me hours from now
it\u2019s always so hard to know when to pull the plug
the water is still warm
but it\u2019s gross with grease
and goop that once was someone\u2019s soup
because they forgot to rinse the bowl
before throwing it in the sink or
stacking more bowls on top
concealing the mess<\/p>\n\n\n\n

just like that pile of dirt that accumulates
under the carpet
cause no one wants to get the dustpan out
and I know cause sometimes it\u2019s me
I hate to stoop and prop the stupid broom
against my shoulder while holding
the too small dustpan that won\u2019t stay flush with the floor
letting the dust and sand and tiny particles
escape and hide
until you pull back an inch
over and over and over
and six more times
\u2018til I just don\u2019t care anymore and leave the last little bit to get blown away
as soon as someone opens the back door<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I could someday, I\u2019d fly away
pretending I am a little sparrow
flitting about
unobtrusive
with a happy little chirp<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead I\u2019m staring out the window
into the neighbour\u2019s yard
while my shirt gets wetter and wetter
pressed up against the counter
stopping the water from reaching
my sopping wet feet
trying to decide
is the water warm enough to do one more pot?
even though I haven\u2019t seen a single bubble
since 3 pots ago<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s why tonight I said
\u201cEnough is enough! Everyone has to have a turn\u201d
and he doesn\u2019t like it
cause I should have said that 10 years ago
\u201cLet\u2019s do this together\u201d
When love was so strong, he\u2019d do anything for me
but love is quieter now
more routine
lovely but routine

That wasn\u2019t what he signed up for
a wife making him do dishes
once a week
he likes his cushy spot on the couch
he probably thinks
\u201clet\u2019s not rock the boat\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe tomorrow I\u2019ll thank him
when I go to inspect the work he\u2019s done
and overlook the spots and the things
I\u2019m sure he\u2019s left behind
for me to do
I guess that\u2019s what I signed up for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n