The Earthly Realm
A celebration of daily rituals.
Returns home
After his morning at the laboratory
Puts his bag down
Kisses his family
Does a wee
Opens the curtains
Purifies the air
Strips the urine-tainted sheets
Drops them in front of a broken washing machine
Scorns the task that lay ahead of him
Says to himself:
“How great, the earthly realm!”
Pours the oats
Feeds his children
Makes sure there’s honey on their spoons
Relieves his wife
So she can move her body
Reads the books
Draws the drawings
Delights in his children
Sings the songs
Dances the dance
Cleans the dishes
Mops the floor
Says to himself:
“How great, the earthly realm!”
Takes down the bins
Contents spilling over
Tends the garden
Turns the compost
His daughter clings to his pants -
They’re falling down
She wants to help with watering
She hoses his ugg boots
He breathes in…
Breathes out
Says to himself:
“How great, the earthly realm!”
His wife returns home
Relieves him
So he can work his second job
To run grains through the silo
Putting out fires
Adults as children
Hard to find the same delight
Not happy with how much honey
Is on their spoon
They don’t like dancing
Or drawing
They close my door when I sing
Their books have big words in them
Says to himself:
“How great, the earthly realm!”
Returns home again
Beaten down
Kisses his family
Stands attentive
To the stories of the day…
Though with droopy eyelids
And waning fervour
His remaining fire
Cooks the dinners
Cleans the dishes
Reads the books
Tells the stories
Says to himself:
“How great, the earthly realm!”
Kids asleep
He emerges
Weary-eyed
Brews the tea
Joins his wife on the couch
Asks her questions
Hears her responses
His eyes droop even lower
She retreats to the bedroom
He stays and thinks about washing machines
And honey spoons
And putting out fires
And tomorrow’s harvest
Then he kisses his family
Does a wee
Closes the curtain
Lays down
Says to himself:
“How great, the earthly realm!”
