It's Still Life

A Disturbing Paragraph from a Housewife’s Ecstasies

Crane fly on the wall
licking at grease,
and a blueberry pie
cooling on the pine table,
you know the one –
it has the Queen of Spades
folded into fours so it
stays level, won’t rock,
the one in
that corner; that always seems
empty of air.
Mama used to keep
a four-leaf clover
in that corner. For luck.
She died. Took her luck
with her. Haven’t seen
a four-leaf clover since.
Have’t seen much luck, either.
Wheels crunching on the gravel –
5 o-clock. Daddy’s home.
She sticks the wooden spoon
back in the wine bottle,
and mutters something about
she can’t be held responsible
for what happens next.

Miz Quickly’s dishing out words: responsible wheels bottle clover empty disturb crane pie wooden stay