Bed-time Routine

Bed Time Routine

He says, You

Take too long getting ready for bed.

So I hand him the remote to go find my socks.

I brush my teeth, floss and pluck,

Take contacts out, flick them to the trash.

They miss most times, and leave

Blue dots on the toilet seat.

 

I do take too long to get ready for bed

Sometimes I get untired by the time I am ready,

That I wander off and start something new.

Meanwhile, he’s watched half of SNL

And we forget our plan to make love.

 

I have to go back out

to turn the lights off

To lock the front door

To secure the back

After he puts the remote down and pads to the bedroom.

He wonders why I, take so long

To get ready for bed.

The doors have to be locked,

Alarms have to be set,

Water glasses filled,

Bathroom lights extinguished,

And bedroom lamps pulled.

He’s already naked, covered to the neck in quilts, and

Says, Why

Do you take so long to get ready for bed?

As I crawl toward that much anticipated slumber.

Hmm, I think,

Did I find my socks…

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redbrick's picture

Not to be indelicate to

Not to be indelicate to anyone but reminds me of Josephine's headache; but this is more progressive. Our bedtime rituals at home are quite complex as well... requiring a synchronous effort like synchronised swimming (Esther Williams comes to mind there) otherwise flicking too many switches and getting back up to double check if anything is amiss or forgotten.... Eventually someone snores first and sleeps through the night. Love the final line - it brings all the strands together beautifully.


here is poetry that doesn't always conform

galateus, arkayye, arqios,arquious, crypticbard, excalibard, wordweaver

djtj's picture

Thank you for the read and comment

I am not familiar with Josephine's headache, or are you just referencing the headache thing at bed in general? :) There's a joke about the husband bringing aspirin to the wife in bed...

I was hoping to protray his obvious lack of awareness of blazing lights and unlocked door. This was a boyfriend, a guest in the house, so not really his responsibility to secure the fortress. But I have a feeling because he lived with roommates, blazing lights and unlocked doors were not his concern when he closed his bedroom door for the night. But the comment, why do you take so long to go to bed...lovely fellow, but seriously dude? Especially at our age. The new boyfriend looks for undone things, quite nice.

 

redbrick's picture

Oh, that's a reference to

Oh, that's a reference to Napoleon's Josephine who was said to feign headaches to avoid bedding with him. Unawareness is quite an issue in intimate relationships too! Reading the room seems to be a dying art/skill set. 


here is poetry that doesn't always conform

galateus, arkayye, arqios,arquious, crypticbard, excalibard, wordweaver