‘It was a long day; I’ll take care of it tomorrow. Night!’
‘Oh no! I’m running late… Tonight, I’ll set things right.’
The ‘tonight’ changes to ‘tomorrow’ that never comes,
Sunrises and sunsets are clocked as my room piles up items.
Soon, the function of the chair adapts to the emergent need,
The pile of discarded clothes grows on its four legs like weed.
One awkward day, I want to use the chair for its intended purpose,
A heave-and-dump transfers the pile onto the bed, an alternative dais.
Thence, the pile changes countries in every twelve hours cyclically,
On the bed in the day and on the chair at night it moves robotically.
‘Mom! Did you see my blue scarf?’ I yell frantically from the floor above,
‘The chair holds the treasure,’ she foretells, sarcasm hypnotising her love.
Helpless, I find myself staring at the clothes now strewn on the marble,
Petrified I gape at the accumulated mess – a tidy room seems a fable.
Head in my hands I clunk onto the bed dreading the insurmountable task,
Confused how to sort – fold, wash or iron…or hide them all under a bedsheet’s mask.
A deep breath I draw summoning all the powers of the universe,
Patiently I deal with one piece at a time undoing procrastination’s curse.
As the rhythm sets in I realise the monster I was running away from was just a mouse,
Had I tackled each day before I slept, the blue scarf would be found for the white blouse.
The herculean mission accomplished, I stretch on the uncreased empty bed,
Protesting their negligence, my stomach fats grumble and demand to be fed.
Chips, pastas, pizzas, cakes, butter, breads, all mark their presence in me,
I know I must exercise just like I must keep the chair empty yet I flee…
I’ve cheated amends, ignored detour-warnings, loitered wasting precious time,
Defending mistakes, justifying fears and disregarding threats I stifle my own climb.
Still, I sweep them all under the carpet and crash on the beanbag,
I choose carelessness unaware that I now walk with a drag.
Sloppiness piles up occupying mental peace and holds confidence at ransom,
The mountain looks invincible and summiting it is simply gruesome.
Lesson learnt that however overwhelming a pile looks I don’t back down,
Slowly but surely I continue to move – steering clear of any breakdown.
