lovepoem # 2
contemplating getting up
I designated today as
toenail cutting day
such a boring chore
that even though it takes
just a few minutes
you need to celebrate it
but now I can’t find the
clippers so the event
will have to be postponed
glad I didn’t advertise it
when my mom was blind
and ninety I took on the job
of trimming her nails after
a doctor cut her badly
I’d first soak her feet
in warm water
and after the ordeal
give them a gentle massage
but she always flinched
at the scissors
I’d say mom I won’t hurt you
I’m not a podiatrist
the writer ann beatty says
you forget the years and
remember the moments
I remember those moments
© Jacqueline Jackson 2005
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2005.
