That Ugly Light in the Living Room

I reflect on how the littlest daily reminders of things can become symbols for lost dreams. Or I just really do have a really ugly living room and can't do a thing about it right now.

It is peach colored dulled glass with crystal cutouts

and it is remarkably ugly

-as you pointed out the day you moved up here with me-

even compared to the waterstained walls and careworn floors-

faded wallpaper with jagged edges and

half-painted windowsills, as if the previous tenants got interrupted

in the middle of painting, like Roanoke citizens,

and just vanished into the ether one day.

 

In fact, the whole living room is downright depressing.

 

But then you couldn't find a job,

amd I lost the baby,

and we covered the windows in plastic to save 1/4 tank of precious oil,

each month, as winter drained our most meager reserves.

Then followed family crises, and non-stop cold, power outages, unpaid bills-

and now spring planting takes days of time every week.

We retire bone-weary each night, to sit a few moments

before crashing to bed.

Dishes go unwashed, floors unswept, for days.

 

As we both struggle, workers and students and artists each.

 

There's just never time to get caught up:

On laundry, or dusting, or dishes;

let alone the walls that need resurfacing

so we can change that damned light-

once the panels are painted to cover the water stains

and cracks letting the wind pass through, shuddering like it does. 

All too soon family will come to visit,

and now the other room needs repainting;

my job is on the line,

and the floors must be swept, and beds prepared.

 

Lily-of-the-valley scented, fresh like spring, when finished.

 

Somehow, I have to believe

we'll eventually get to this room

when the children are back with their mothers,

and the laundry finished, the floors swept

letters sent to friends patiently awaiting updates-

dead, alive, or otherwise entrenched in life?

They ponder, more than a year now,

since I first fled my old life to move to this place

and settled in to make a living

in a house with the ugliest light fixture I have ever seen,

but such a simple thing will have to wait.

 

Guess it's going to have to do a while longer, yet, isn't it?

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Larry Dyson]

Outwardly your living room may appear as you describe ..but to see the real stories you produce there.. papering the walls of Our lives...it is such a rich and deeply textured tapistry that actually adorns the walls and the ceiling is hung with glass beads and drapes the UGLY .peach colored light until all one can see is the shine of each surface reflecting the gems you have bestowed on our inner skies.

[Alicante lullaby]

and what a title you got for such a remarkable write.

[Ruth]

The frustration here is wonderful :)
There is passionate tension to this poem
Great write!
xx

[Jibey]

The detail of the surroundings is described with a sharp eye and creates a vivid picture of decay and neglect... but through it the will to live remains and despite the depressing effect of the decor, other priorities prevail..

It's a reminder of how it is for so many people...

[Sweet_pale_cacophony]

I loved this piece..cause of the very subtle and beautiful essence to it almost like the cream white tapestry about its elegance and yet it is there...you have created such a lovely,poignant and evocative piece...it flows beautifully.

[Emily B]

my floors are rotting out from under me, everything needs painted, the downstairs bathroom is completely out of commission, the roof leaks, the house needs siding, we never seem to have the extra to do the things that should be and that makes it so much harder to get the laundry and the dishes and the sweeping done

but I sleep well at night, what self-respecting burglar would ever take his life in his own hands to come in here?

I've been eying this title for a while, glad I came by

[deeps]

This is really one amazing write here. All i can say is Wow!
I like how you picked a subject like a light and write about it.
Shows wonderful creativity. I like this alot shows remarkable
feelings and strong emotions. Well written

[Through the Gateway]

This is a really good piece, Marie. How the frustrations of life, especially as time seems to be whittled down to nothing, can be focused on one item. It is as if that light fixture is the single symbolic reminder that your life is harried.

I think you captured this concept beautifully. Well done!

[Ladysue]

I agree with Dom, you captured the ordeal many go through very well. Very thoughtful piece of writing. Nicely done...

[Dom Macchiaroli]

You've summed up the sentiment of a lot of people these days, whether you meant to or not. This is a terrific piece!