By Mary E. Sousis

The groan was soft but nonetheless audible
Followed by a long sigh and a thrusting of the chin
Still, small hands picked up the hand_towel
Reluctantly began wiping a dish
I thought to myself..only once in a blue moon
And I too sighed but kept on washing

The young girl offered no other form of protest
Although the dishes did seem to be dried rather slowly
I shook my head taking care as to not show frustration
Nor invoke chore-stopping displeasure
But then, a memory called from the distant past, I smiled
And offered a morsel of my own childhood
When I too did not believe in child labor

The young girl smiled faintly, silently inviting
More tales from when life, she was sure, was not so hard
I told her how I swept dirt under braided rugs,
Covered my unmade bed with a patchwork quilt
She offered her views on stoneware and paper dishes,
Cleaning toothpaste out of the sink, passing notes at school
I talked about dancing with the ugliest boy in twelfth grade,
Why I didn't make the cheerleading squad,
And how, once, a friend of mine got stuck in a garbage can
She said she missed her best friend, who moved far away,
Asked why airfare was so expensive, but thanked God for phones,
And how she was voted Queen Judge for the daily lunch 'Pick and Flick' contest
Could she dye her hair blue, just the ends?
I told her of my iridescent orange bedroom
No, she could not pierce her nose,
Yes we could think of getting a lizard
She wanted to know the difference between like and love
And, Oh, by the way, what's for dinner?
But did she have to dry? Again? This year?

The pile of dishes seemed to dwindle quickly
Though the hands' pace remained unchanged,
Perhaps even slowed
Two pair of hands, the same
Keeping time
Yet time tells them apart
Time long past, time yet to come
And mother and daughter, sharing time
Create a memory
To last a life-time

Submitted By venus

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