Trim

Posted on by

I chose clothes over painting
the living room. When contemplating
renovating the bathroom
the thought of removing the toilet
from its moorings unmoored me
and I bought a leather coat instead.

Installing a new front deck to replace
the rotted wood and rickety stairs
prompted a weekend long binge in a mall,
resulted in a haul  that took months
to restore my Visa.

How can I consider redoing
the kitchen, stripping 1980’s oak cabinets,
peeling the dated backsplash,
tearing up the most recent flooring
knowing the layers below will show
more decorating follies and
remind me of a suit with shoulder pads
and a suede skirt that swirled
when I twirled, an electric slide
line-dancer who knows a move
is easier if you have the right clothes.

No level will solve the lack
of equilibrium in these choices.
The marble will always roll under
the stove, illustrating perfectly
the measure of me. How I prefer
trim to a solid frame, a fresh coat
of paint versus a new roof.
How I chip away at the exterior
when the interior needs insulation.

Is it any wonder an empty closet
wears on me? Embarking on a year-long
upgrade of the retrograde life,
renovate the degenerate, screw the past
to the wall and apply fresh plaster to it all
– will it work with an empty closet?
Is an empty closet a “ta da” or a last hurrah?

**

Note: I am cleaning my closet this month and challenging myself to not add more. Easy for you maybe, but I am a fashion addict and I need to stop accumulating more stuff and wear what I have. To prove to myself that I have plenty, I am wearing a new ensemble every work day in November. Yes, I know. First world problem. It’s where I live.

29 thoughts on “Trim”

  2. Oh, my, girl! Ready for a fashion blog, I see. Ohh, I know! You’ve got it already! And you’re posting there all your outfits!! Or, nooo, don’t tell me, even worse: you’re an instagranny!!! Anyway, in this post images trump words…

    Liked by 1 person

    • I had intended the series to embarrass myself into not buying any more clothes. Mostly I’m just embarrassed by the self-absorption of the selfies. Lesson learned. No more fashion photos.

      Liked by 1 person

      • This was the first post I saw since I started at the end and worked back. Only later I saw it was a series. I just didn’t see it coming from you. 😀 I think it’s a great idea and I was not kidding – you rock those poses and outfits!

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Leave it to you to turn a closet clean-out into a deep analysis of self! But what interesting insights you’ve achieved along the way–and I think I’m just your opposite. The trim kind of bores me . . .

    Liked by 1 person

    • Yes, my mind does wander when I’m cleaning out the closet. Meditations on material culture, (oh! a pun!) consumerism, identity, fitting in – all right there arranged by colour.

      Like

  5. I love the energy of the poem, how it gathers speed as it goes. And I do admire the new ensemble each day (this, she confesses, is how I put myself to sleep at night quite often: putting together different outfits in my mind 🙂 )

    Liked by 1 person

    • Hi Leslie, the closet seemed manageable but its proving to be harder than I thought. Next up is weeding through the boxes and boxes of children’s/babies clothes I saved.

      Like

  8. Having just survived a week of misery while replacing my counter top with a new quartz one, I totally agree. A leather coat is a much more sensible choice. Love your poetry.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. I have just the right contractor for you Sue! Audrey, she is fantastic at renovating and she does it as cheap as possible! lol! I sympathize with your renovation woes we too could use a few changes around here like another bathroom, remove the fireplace we never use etc… Love the photos.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. I love the canine accent to your wardrobe! As for your conundrum, have you considered just moving to a new house? That way you get to choose all the finishes you want, but you don’t have to do the work. An extra, added bonus is that once you start making payments, you won’t be able to afford *any* new clothes! Such a deal!

    Liked by 1 person

    • The pup had just had a grooming so he was a pretty accessory. He thanks you for noticing his presence.

      In order to sell our outdated home, it requires significant fixing up. Neither hubby or I are handy or terribly interested in investing the time. Finding a reliable contractor has been as difficult as finding a spouse. Everyone we’ve met has been like a bad date that never returns your calls or acknowledges your existence after the first meeting. And honestly, at this stage of life, I’m so over home ownership. I’m not sure how many times over we paid for our house on the 25 year mortgage and whether it might not have been a better investment to put money in the sock drawer – or maybe marijuana stocks. Anyway. Rant out.

      Like

  12. What an interesting line “embarking on a year-long upgrade of the retrograde life”. I’ve read it several times now, pondering what it means to me. Yes, there is a ring to it – the sound of wakeup-and-take-notice.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I’m trying to tackle necessary home renos that we’ve avoided over the years, for many reasons not just my passion for fashion. These aren’t quick fixes because there are so many of them and it feels quite overwhelming.

      Like

  13. I’m not surprised you’d prefer shopping for one of your passions to home improvements – especially the ones you mention such as new roofs which have to be done but don’t give much sense of satisfaction since nothing really looks much different!

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.