Saturday mornings growing up
my mother made me clean the bathroom
. windex . bleach
. scrub brush . rags
. mop . bucket . broom . dustpan
. lots of paper towels
she insisted I clean the bathroom
every Saturday morning
before I did anything else
with absolutely no chance of an allowance
she paid me plenty she said
. shelter . food . clothing
. television . internet . video games
. books . some sort of education
not to mention
. life
“do it because you love me”
so waking up Saturday
meant cleaning the bathroom
it meant my hands reeked of chemicals
while my friends enjoyed games I couldn't join
it meant I missed the best of all
the cartoons everyone else watched
it meant I didn’t feel like loving my mother
for years I begrudgingly
. scrubbed . wiped . cleaned
that bathroom
until it sparkled - until it shined
like the top of the Chrysler building
. sink . mirror
. toilet . tub
. floor
all of it spotless
love you mom
then in college
there's this woman that I'm living with
this woman that provides me with
. shelter . food . clothing
. television . internet . etc.
and she makes me feel alive
so I clean her bathroom
and when she asks me, “why?”
all I can think to say is
“I did it because I love you”
and it feels like that's the truth
Jul 19, 2019
Jul 19, 2019 at 2:57 PM UTC
Saturday mornings growing up
my mother made me clean the bathroom
. windex . bleach
. scrub brush . rags
. mop . bucket . broom . dustpan
. lots of paper towels
she insisted I clean the bathroom
every Saturday morning
before I did anything else
with absolutely no chance of an allowance
she paid me plenty she said
. shelter . food . clothing
. television . internet . video games
. books . some sort of education
not to mention
. life
“do it because you love me”
so waking up Saturday
meant cleaning the bathroom
it meant my hands reeked of chemicals
while my friends enjoyed games I couldn't join
it meant I missed the best of all
the cartoons everyone else watched
it meant I didn’t feel like loving my mother
for years I begrudgingly
. scrubbed . wiped . cleaned
that bathroom
until it sparkled - until it shined
like the top of the Chrysler building
. sink . mirror
. toilet . tub
. floor
all of it spotless
love you mom
then in college
there's this woman that I'm living with
this woman that provides me with
. shelter . food . clothing
. television . internet . etc.
and she makes me feel alive
so I clean her bathroom
and when she asks me, “why?”
all I can think to say is
“I did it because I love you”
and it feels like that's the truth
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