Conundrum
A poem by Diane Elayne Dees

Conundrum

In my house, dishes are carefully stacked,
glasses ordered on shelves; cleaning cloths,
batteries, supplements, and laundry supplies
rest in multi-colored crates. Delicate collections 
reside dust-free in shelters with glass doors.
In my house, there is no junk drawer.

Outside, limbs fall daily, cracks
in the concrete grow wider, invasive vines
choke trees, and weeds inhabit patio limestone.
Giant elephant ears rise from the dead
and soak up water in the drainage ditch,
while mimosa trees spread their grotesque fronds
across the street and onto power lines.

The romanticism of a wild yard
quickly becomes the mayhem of a jungle.
The comfort of a tidy house
does not always reflect a tidy mind.

How much chaos is organic, beautiful?
How much is toxic? How much order
is pleasing? How much is stifling?
Which environment—inside or outside—
is the truth of who I am?

Morning glories suddenly burst into bloom
in late November; an egret ventures
from the river and flies into my yard.
Meanwhile, I live with small closets,
an exasperatingly cramped bathroom,
and a sad assortment of renovation errors.

Perhaps the wabi-sabi of my environment
is the truth of who I am. Perhaps I am
the too-small windows, the misplaced tile,
the late burst of bloom, the soaring egret.
And perhaps that is perfectly okay.

About the Author:

Diane Elayne Dees is the author of the chapbooks, Coronary Truth (Kelsay Books), The Last Time I Saw You (Finishing Line Press), and The Wild Parrots of Marigny (Querencia Press). Diane, who lives in Covington, Louisiana, also publishes Women Who Serve, a blog that delivers news and commentary on women’s professional tennis throughout the world. Her author blog is Diane Elayne Dees: Poet and Writer-at-Large.

author blog: https://dianeelaynedeesauthor.blogspot.com/

tennis blog: https://womenwhoserve.blogspot.com/

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