Chanting Exhaustion

                  By ten, they had been made adults, forced like flowers to bloom early.
               But they were not flowers of love.  They were flowers of work, to be put to work.  There was no time.

—Geoff Ryman

Dream-wrenching alarm headache tender breasts cold water shower dirty towel kitty litter on the floor getting dressed lost buttons broken iron deodorant crust ringing phone e-mail pack bag find shoes coffee-milk car won’t start wait turn over go traffic oil change buy gas find a parking place work the ringing phone work the ringing students at the door phone e-mail lunch at e-mail desk work teach work read work grade work photocopy work write letters of work recommendation  work teach walk to car bank closed traffic home laundry bills debt t.v. dirty dishes wash a pan peel garlic boil water make pasta the ringing phone e-mail strain the e-mail pasta the ringing phone heat sauce the ringing e-mail phone put pasta the ringing on phone e-mail plate the ringing eat e-mail grade papers the ringing phone e-mail vacuum the ringing pile phone the e-mail dishes in the ringing phone sink feed the e-mail cat bed.

"Chanting Exhaustion" first appeared in RiverSedge (Spring 1999)
Copyright 1997: J. Elizabeth Clark

J. Elizabeth Clark, Ph.D. (lclark@lagcc.cuny.edu)
Professor of English
Office: E-103 H in The Department of English
Phone:718.482.5665
Summer 2009 Office Hours

Site Credits: This site was last updated on 13 May 2009. Site designed and maintained by J. Elizabeth Clark. Technical Assistance provided by Delwar Sayeed and Priscilla Stadler.