The Balconies

It was a routine.

Every Sunday
she mopped the house,
wiped the floors
and washed the balconies.

And in-between
she would accuse
me of laziness
and
absolute lack of help.

"At least fetch me that bucket,"
or
"Put that phone aside and get me the broom."

Sometimes this,
...and sometimes that
her caustic remarks
would never stop.

"Let me do it,"
if I'd say
she wouldn't allow me, by saying,
"There's no finishing in your work,"
or, "Let it be, you increase my workload."

Such, it has been...
for years unstoppably
and all my complaints and offerings
have gone to vain
TILL DATE.

So, today on her birthday
which luckily is on a Sunday
I
have decided
to wash the balconies for her,
and to prove
MY WORTH.

She'd be finally happy,
and live a day of rest.

The bucket when I lift it, I realize-
is heavy for her muscular strength
and the water is cold
to her sensitivity, yet she does it
so let me too.

One, two, three, four and then
the fifth
five buckets of water
I splashed on the balcony.

Everywhere, wherever I could.

There was so much dust
on the railings and the plinth
the floor was
Brown with a layer of mud
and her fallen hair everywhere in circles and loops.

Then I saw the window panes,
dirty they were too.

Unwashed for centuries.

"These women," I said to myself
"do little and shout more. Such blunt ignorance. See."

And there I splashed a mug-full of water
that came dripping down the panes.

Besides the window, was the door.
Dirty and dusty too.
And,
above it the ventilator.

"Have you ever washed anything other than the floor of this balcony?"
I roared, as the haughty working man.

It was time she noticed, the loopholes
and stop patting
herself on everything.

"These windows, when did you wash them last?"

"And, come here see this door, how..."

"STOP YOU IDIOT. YOU HAVE FLOODED MY ROOM."

And there was silence again,
between the two of us
and in those turn of events
I became the suppressed,
and she the dominant, which,
I hadn't yet realized.

So in continuation, i spoke,
rather justified...

"They were really dirty and I swear..."

"OH SHUT UP. YOU COULDN'T EVEN SPARE ME SOME LOAD
ON MY BIRTHDAY."