grace notes of domestic love
her sleep is fitful owing some to a creaky knee
her man rises and exits the bedroom without sound
and then in the kitchen adds the gentle noises
of the early-morning chores of kitchen-bag disposal
(crinkly pulling up of bag
unlocking and opening back door
quite faint sound of deposit in big lidded bin outside
closing/locking door then swish out of new bag
closing little lidded bin with authoritative whmph)
and coffee-making
(lid-lifting/reservoir-filling/filter-snugging
store-brand coffeebag-opening/spoon-dipping
lid-shutting/pressing I/O switch
with a startyourengines click
and then the burble of the coffee brewing
and dish-doing
with the mild clatter of the roasting pan
and the rainfall-effervescence of a sink filling
with soapy water with the faucet nozzle
set on Sprinkle/Highpressure
and the clink and scrubsqueak of ceramic bowls
washed and rinsed and set in the dish drainer
..
the man is hopeful that the sounds
of little tasks being taken care of
will ease his sweetheart’s sleep
and she does look peaceful
as she opens her eyes and smiles and they kiss
..
“want some coffee?”
