An Orderly Woman

 

Every week was planned

with every day given an allotted task

She was indeed a creature of habit

always dressed according to the job in hand

Mondays were spent enwrapped

amongst sheets, dresses and underwear

Soap powder, dolly blue and the Burco boiler

and soon the garden lines became like bunting

Tuesdays she stood before the ironing board

surrounded by coat hangers and moth balls

Wednesdays her attention was given to the

bedrooms and bathroom upstairs

Thursdays the sitting room and dinning room

Fridays were devoted to windows and mirrors

The house held its own particular odour

long before the days of air fresheners

An odour without a scent but a warm welcome

a place of tranquility, rest and comfort

 

She took pride in all that she did

with her personal appearance to the fore

Before leaving the house there was a ritual

in front of the dressing table where hair and make up

were carefully arranged so as to pass inspection

She was an orderly woman 

taciturn yet eloquent when required

There was a constant sense of decency

with routines performed like religious rites

Few guests were entertained

as she led a private if not secluded life

There was an independent spirit

which had to be discovered

Never arrogant or rude, always polite

and a stickler for good etiquette and manners

Every item of furniture, ornaments and fittings

spoke of her character, of who she was

and to some extent aspired to be

 

There had been five children, one killed at Dunkirk

the rest married and scattered afar

Then with the onsett of old age she relinquished her home

for sheltered accommodation

Retaining a few cherished items of sentimental value

she died alone in her favourite armchair