Carpet

Steeling myself I face
dust hair crumbs paper scraps
comfortably settled on the carpet
of this flat so cosily small
until I vacuum clean it.

Cleaning off open surfaces
I move all furniture sucking
up loose fluff until all is
done …… until next time.

My mother cleaned carpet
in the early fifties for three
young children and two parents
with a manual carpet sweeper
pushing to and fro as its inner
brushes gathered up crumbs
hair dust, though not thoroughly.
My modern electric vacuum
cleaner does its job thoroughly.

Less fortunate women earlier
on pushed back furniture
lifted loose carpet off the
floor hung it over the clothes
line, beat it amidst
hairy crumbly clouds … cough !


Previously posted April 2018.