Broom Game

always more dirt in the canyons, always a fresh track across the floor
there were times when we didn't sweep for months, do you know what happened?
things happened, nothing broke
it didn't get dirtier
it stayed the same amount of dirty

then we were living on a red couch
back then
we were galumphers, fleet-footed thieves getting our bread out of dumpsters
getting our clothes off of sidewalks
the universe seemed ready to give
and we were not ready to clean

sometimes we cleaned
people hated it when we cleaned because they didn't notice
and then we'd say PLEASE DON'T TRACK DIRT ACROSS MY NEWLY MOPPED FLOOR
and they'd look at us like fools and step 5 feet forward to get out of the way of our fresh mop
I never realized that was why she hated me, always mopping around her feet while she tried to dance
I just thought she was crazy
hating me one minute, loving me the next
now she calls me darling and hardly ever acts like I'm dead to her
which is better
because I don't mop around her feet anymore
and I AM a darling.