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Feathery patterns of sunshine,
Dancing on shiny waxed floors,
Squeaky clean windows and sashes,
Now, how could a woman want more?
The clothes hamper's empty--no washing!
And the bathroom is spotless and neat.
No cooking today. It's not needed.
There is no one at home now to eat.
The throw pillows stay where she puts them.
(Not scruffy from too much misuse)
And the trinkets for years she's collected
Look lovely, but say, what's the use?
She remembers a time when she polished,
And scrubbed down, and cleaned up, and swept,
Each day in a vain try to somehow,
Stay ahead of the children one step.
But the handprints for years that she wiped off,
Sometimes with a frustrated tear,
Don't seem quite so bad in the silence,
Now that there's no one else near.
So she ponders the short years of childhood,
How they're lost in the duties of life,
And Nana lets grandchildren do things
She never allowed as a wife.
