Housecleaning

by Carolyn Martin

Several brooms of different colors lined up, to the left is a ceramic cat statue

When resistance is gone, so are the demons.
—Milarepa

Thanks to that plucky holy man,
I’m happy to report they are packing up.
I filched his trick: invite them to live in harmony.
Without spikes of adrenaline, boredom did them in.
Where will you go? I’m curious.
Anywhere, they laugh, humans are.
They ask to leave some stuff behind:
a ratty robe, broken plates, piles
of unopened mail, volumes
of explosive rants, files
of rejection slips, narratives
I’ve acted out for years.
On second thought, I try. Feel free to stay
until you clean your remnants out.
They roll their eyes—resisting
my naïveté—and suggest
I lock the doors and meditate.

Blissfully retired in Clackamas, OR, Carolyn Martin is a lover of gardening and snorkeling, feral cats and backyard birds, writing and photography. Her poems have appeared in more than 175 journals throughout North America, Australia, and the UK. Currently, she is the poetry editor of Kosmos Quarterly: journal for global transformation. Find out moreby visiting her website.

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