In The Battle Against Time

the first casualty was the floor,

dog hair was swept up into

a pile, the size of a small rodent,

and then the dogs were taken outside

brushed forcefully, only to have 

another pile, the size of a small

rodent to dispose of, and I pondered

attaching the vacuum, directly

to the dogs

the floor is now hairless, mostly

dog footprints linger everywhere

proof of all the rain, with 

more to come, which begs the question,

why bother?

my patience was the second casualty

youngest daughter saw the doctor

a three hour round trip which

involves driving asshats, a daughter 

who tugs on my arm, endlessly 

and old men with seemingly 

no idea of speed limits, tottering

along

groceries were bought, not

what I needed for tomorrow, 

but what I've run out of, now

the third casualty was the sink

the toilet was in need of a clean,

small clumps of shit

stuck to the rim, nobody

wants to see that, 

while I waited for the bedsheets 

to finish in the dryer

said toilet was given 

a once over, restored

to it's former glory

the sink can wait

the fourth casualty was

the dishes, some were

crammed into the dishwasher

others sit in the sink, stacked

ready for their bath

housework is like triage

who will see what

and how much dirt 

is acceptable

there is only so much time

in a day

hours spent driving,

walking dogs

prepping meals

something's got to give

today there were casualties