A sorry sight

Wet laundry in the dryer.

A half-done load of wash greeted me as a I walked in the door after a very long day, computer bag over my shoulder, mail needing attention, lilies with fallen petals on the table, purchases to be put away, poem drafted but no photos snapped yet. Nobody to cook dinner if I wanted some but yours truly. And so tired!

Altogether a sorry sight, including me.

But I accomplished something of real import today.
PART I OF MY NOVEL IS DONE. Finally.
Note to self: Never ever do a complete rewrite without looking at the original! Merging the two versions will take far longer than revising the original.
Part II-b (150 pages written between last November and this January) is now printed and ready for editing.
Perseverance alone prevents slow progress from dwindling to nothing.
— I Ching

Chantler63 Shakespeare Challenge and National Poetry Writing Month
Well-known phrases from Shakespeare
Day 15: ‘a sorry sight’ (Macbeth)


By now it should be pretty clear what inspired today's poem.

INCOMPLETE

Like a flower without a pollinator
Like a child miscarried or stillborn
Like an undeveloped negative
Is the work that does not reach its end.

Like a plant that wilts for lack of water
Like a drug that harms more than it cures
Like a web that does not catch a fly
Is the work that does not reach its end.

Like a wine that’s drunk too late or early
Like a brand-new roof that lets in rain
Like a home that’s built but never lived in
Is the work that does not reach its end.

Like a heart that’s lacking in forgiveness
Like a joyful tune that’s never sung
Like a life without a holy purpose
Is the work that does not reach its end.