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Dirty Dishes

The dust is often out of hand
And should I write my name upon
The coffee table and night stand
It will be seen when morning dawns.

But dishes, oh the dishes must
Be kept up or the sink will be
Foul with spoons, forks, plates and cups
All left to soak too long by me.

Sometimes I let the laundry slip.
I keep it out of sight, you know.
I do not run too tight a ship,
And by the clothing mound it shows.

But dishes, oh the dishes must
Be washed and dried so I can make
A chicken pie with flaky crust
For my dear hungry family’s sake.

A dirty bathtub is the bane
Of my existence but I can
Shower and not go insane—
“Clean tub tomorrow,” is my plan.

But dishes, oh the dishes must
Be dealt with or crumbs that abound
On forlorn plates might bring the worst
And be by hungry mousies found.

And so I wash another dish,
Raise a smile, and hush my fuss.
These mouths to feed (my realized wish)
Means doing dishes is a must.

.

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Among the Pines

Within my woods among the pines
There is a flock of wrens, a chime.
They make me wish to write in rhyme
__For I am thrilled.
The homes they fashion by design
__I watch them build.

One wren does not permit the rain
To stop her from her sweet refrain.
She works and she does not complain.
__She makes her nest.
Her diligence is not in vain;
__Come night, she’ll rest.

A fortnight yields half dozen chicks;
They hatch out in the house of sticks.
The wren will bring an insect mix
__To give them food.
She only has two weeks in which
__To love her brood

Which she will do with all her might
Until she launches them in flight.
She loves but does not hold too tight—
__She lets them go.
And they will fly and do what’s right—
__She taught them so.

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a chime: a flock of wrens

originally published by, Pure in Heart Stories.

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Gigi Ryan is a wife, mother, grandmother, and home educator. She lives in rural Tennessee.

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16 Responses

  1. Joseph S. Salemi

    The poem “Dirty Dishes” creates what you might call a rhetorical dialogue or interplay. The odd-numbered quatrains all describe various household tasks that are left undone, while the intervening even quatrains (all beginning with the word “But”) point out forcefully that this is not possible with unwashed plates and utensils in the sink. These things HAVE to be washed.

    Structuring the poem this way is much more effective than simply telling readers that dishes must be done. We get a picture of the normal cleaning chores of a housekeeper, but they are arranged in a hierarchical order that emphasizes that unquestioned priority of doing the dishes.

    This is what makes formal verse more important than free verse. The structural templates of formal verse allow for a more forceful and focused presentation of material.

    The same is true for “Among the Pines,” but in a more complex manner. It isn’t just a vagrant description of the wrens. It is ordered in a way that naturally appeals to our human desire for symmetry, balance, and narrative linkage.

    Reply
  2. Gigi Ryan

    Dr. Salemi,
    I very much appreciate your observations about the suitability of formal verse over free verse as exemplified in these poems. We are liturgical creatures. Rather than finding formal verse a burden, I find it, ironically, freeing. It helps me to work harder to communicate and yet, it relieves me of having to figure out all out myself. Nature itself teaches us the necessity and beauty of structure and liturgy – seasons, sunsets, and life cycles are just the tip of the iceberg.
    As you say so well, we do crave “symmetry, balance, and narrative linkage.”
    Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
    Gigi

    Reply
  3. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Gigi, I thoroughly enjoyed both of these poems which are lovely alone and in their pairing. Both poems sing of the hard work and wonder of raising a family. The prioritizing of tasks in “Dirty Dishes” speaks to my heart and my tastebuds – “A chicken pie with flaky crust” must take precedence, as you quite rightly say in the closing couplet.

    I like the rhyme scheme and meter of “Among the Pines” and I especially like, “One wren does not permit the rain / To stop her from her sweet refrain.” – it ties in with the first beautifully. A loving mother lets nothing get in the way of her care-driven challenges – you say it delightfully. Gigi, thank you!

    Reply
    • Gigi Ryan

      Dear Susan,
      As I had written the two poems at completely different times, I hadn’t even considered their pairing, but yes, they both speak to aspects of raising a family, though two different (of countless) angles from which to view it.
      Thank you for your comments!
      Gigi

      Reply
  4. Paul A. Freeman

    The jocular meter and topic, as well as common terminology like ‘out of hand’ and running a tight ship make for a humorous journey – plus you seem to be describing my apartment, Gigi!

    ‘house of sticks’ lovely. The sing-song (imitation of a singing bird) rhythm and meter carry this along as does the personification of the wren, making readers of an age and gender think of her own offspring leaving their own ‘house of sticks’.

    Thanks for the reads, Gigi.

    Reply
    • Gigi Ryan

      Dear Paul,
      Yes, every time I reread and edited the last verse of my wren poem, I had a hitch in my heart as it is something I have experienced many times, having had five leave my nest so far. Thank you for sharing these observations!
      Gigi

      Reply
  5. Warren Bonham

    I need to get outside more and be more observant when I get there. That mother wren gave some fantastic parenting advice and apparently a new poetic meter. It seems you have applied both very well. Thanks for the great start to the day.

    Reply
    • Gigi Ryan

      Dear Warren,
      At this time of year, I am pretty sure we all need to get out more!
      I was attempting to imitate Burns Meter with my wren poem….so I cannot take credit for a new one. I am thrilled that you enjoyed the poem.
      Gigi

      Reply
    • Gigi Ryan

      Dear James,
      Thank you. I do love learning and using new words.
      Gigi

      Reply
  7. Roy Eugene Peterson

    These are two precious poems that far exceed the commonplace subject the first seem to be. Instead, they reveal heartfelt thoughts, one for the human family and one for the bird family. I can readily identify with dishes piling up in the sink in need of washing and with the little birds flying away from the nest with the mother having a sense of having taught them what is right and deriving satisfaction from the work she has done.

    Reply
    • Gigi Ryan

      Dear Roy,
      I found myself trying to imagine being a mother wren. The process of trusting my growing children to make decisions and mistakes on their own is difficult. And the dear mother wren must do it all at once with confidence in her two week training period!
      My own mother in law was a wonderful example to me and often compared herself to a bird. She said she didn’t raise he children to fly around the backyard. True to her word she did completely let them go with confidence. I have always admired that and tried to imitate her wisdom.
      Proverbs does not mention the wren, but we can “go to the wren” for examples, just as we can the ant! Thank you for taking time to find the heart of my poems.
      Gigi

      Reply
      • Julian D. Woodruff

        Gigi, these are both lovely. In “Dishes,” the varied refrain (I think it might be called) works very well, indeed. As Prof Salemi points out , you’ve really put form at the service of content.
        “Pines” is equally delightful and intricate. Congrats on them both!

  8. Gigi Ryan

    Dear Julian,
    Thank you for sharing your observations. I guess “varied refrain” is what it might be called? I didn’t have a term for it myself. Sometimes I worry that I am using a word or phrase too much, but Villanelles and other such forms have given me permission to put them to use when appropriate.
    Gigi

    Reply
    • Julian D. Woodruff

      I worry about repeated words, too–a lot. But I do think refrains, even unvaried, can be very effective and catchy, both in poetry and music. E.g., in “When daisies pied,” the refrain, “The cuckoo then … Oh word of fear …” has a wonderful prickly insistence.

      Reply
  9. Cynthia Erlandson

    I, too, love your topics and your well-built forms; and I definitely identify with not being able to function in a kitchen full of dirty dishes!

    Reply

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