Oatmeal from the store

Six words, 50+ words

Dancing in the subway

To the heat of primal beats

Eyeliner smudges on hands and lips

Birds, birds

Flying away in the sky

Weighed down by a rain of troubles

Sun peeking through doomly doom

My dear caregiver, she's not

A caregiver at all

More like a dove in a thunderstorm

Weighed down by a rain of troubles

Locusts in a field

I am caregiver

For Beatrice,

I call her Betty

Highly particular,

Peculiar she is

I owe it to her

'Cause I put her there

Holds no remorse

Uses black eyeliner on

Fine edges

Of her ruby lips

A looker

Though wheelchair bound for years

Hot

Like Boxing Helena

She pays me well.

Keeps my milk jar full.

Her smile contagious

Like Cheshire cat

Should I fail in my provision

Hell fury breaks then

Loves oatmeal

Lives off it

Won't do without it

Keeps digestive tract

Flowing clean, constipation free

Plain oatmeal,

Thank you.

Raisins, cinnamon, sugar is

Adulteration

Mr. Careless

Caregiver man banned

From her love's dispense

Bring 5 minute oats

Bring Instant rue

Fullness

Old fashioned Beatrice

Scorned

Broken milk jar

Hello Kitty replaces Cheshire

Monthly ritual ebbs

"Hard leavin' 'er unattended."

Sugar Momma

Misses Sugardaddy

"I'll be back Love, just a

Short subway ride to store, ya know

'For ye know it,

Home with 'nother container

For ya."

"An' yes," replies she,

"It shall be cylindrical

Cardboard Stock container, ya know,

Don't ferget 'an I'll make it good

Fer you too!"

Bring home steel cut oats;

Caregiver gets cut off

Empties - we collect

Birdhouses - we make

Paint them over

17th century Quaker man

Spar varnish for rainproofing

No evidence yet, harmful to birds

You see Betty and I

Caregiver and she

Symbiotically live

My Helena and

Her Handyman

The oatmeal is cold now.

My eyeliner smudged.

I did not sleep last night and crawled into bed without washing my face.

I have to go to the store to buy another hummingbird feeder.

So many stupid errands.

But last night destroyed all hope of self-motivation for today.

He hit me on the subway. In public! In front of tons of passersby.

I didn't think he'd resort to that. I was so stunned that I didn't even look upset.

So he hit me again.

I only have a few hours to process everything.

I am a caregiver for my great uncle living in an assisted living facility.

He has Alzheimer's. Yesterday was a bad day for him. I wonder how today will go.

I have a bruise on my cheek. He will ask about it, whether he calls me by name or not.

And that's when it hits me: Today will not be a good day, either.