The Messy Room

And her room was always the messiest
Here she could store everything
the vacuum cleaner, the hair dryer, the wireless printer
Things no one needed to see
Necessary things that must be kept hidden
Even though everybody knows you have to have these things
somewhere

And the dirty clothes
Piles of dirty clothes
work clothes, church clothes, play clothes
jackets and sweat shirts and jeans that can be worn again
before washing time
a basket of clean socks not yet matched
clothes not washed because there is no time, too much to do
Pile them in her room, shut the door, and keep going

The living room needed to be kept spotless, of course
That would be the first room others would see
Would even be visible from the street
if the blinds were open

And the kitchen needed scrubbing every time she cooked a meal
dishes moved from the sink to the washing machine to the cabinets
in a perpetual loop
The toilet was scrubbed and bathroom sink wiped down regularly
Everyone used those rooms

But in her room, she stashed the ironing board
the pencils and markers and note pads
empty laundry baskets and old check books and extra blankets
old greeting cards and sweet notes, mortgage papers and passports
in the firesafe box
She kept her door shut most of the time
Always when guests arrived

(written by Kristie Camp - not to be published anywhere else without my written permission)