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spring cleaning
before i met you
the floorboards were faded,
the chestnut dulled to a defeated dirt.
floral wallpaper, slumped
like a languished soldier, sagging
from the weight of the year’s battles
the painted flowers wilted.
before i met you
foul fumes of forgotten faith
filled the air, suffocating
every breath i took.
even the pillows laid lifelessly on the sofa
exhaustion splitting the fabric at the seams.
and there i lay
in the middle of it all
dust clouding my sight
deafening silence clogging my ears
misery engulfing my mind.
but then i met you.
and even though
the floorboards were faded
the wallpaper was peeling
and even though
fumes filled the air and
dust clouded your sight
you embraced me.
and you,
you helped me sweep.
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Although presented as such, this poem is not about home restoration—rather, spring cleaning is used as a metaphor to represent the revitalizing, reinvigorating power of love. A spring cleaning is the practice of thoroughly cleaning a house at the start of spring—in many cultures, it is associated with the transition from a harsh, cold winter into a bright, warm new season. Thus, I chose this process of seasonal renewal to act as a metaphor for the similarly renewing and reinvigorating effects of love. Hopefully, this metaphor makes the ideas presented in the poem more accessible—though not everybody can relate to the feeling of having true love, most can understand the similar feelings evoked by a spring cleaning.