Linens
by Kay Ryan
There are charms
that forestall harm.
The house bristles
with opportunities
for stasis: refolding
the linens along
their creases, keeping
the spoons and chairs
in their right places.
Nobody needs to
witness one’s exquisite
care with the napkins
for the napkins
to have been the act
that made the fact
unhappen.
Whoever is doing the homemaking here seems to be trying to do it really well and perfectly, possibly to try and apologise for or erase whatever this 'fact' is. As if the care put into the linens will make some other event unimportant, or will show care in general to try and explain the reasoning behind a choice.
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