Scrubbing the Tub

A poem I wrote for my BYU creative writing class. My professor loved it, but the New Era didn't. I hope you appreciate it.

photo by Pam Roth

It’s about time the bathtub was cleaned.

A detailed history of sweaty workouts, first dates, bad hair days,

And all-night cramming stains the puky plastic.

I snow the tub with Comet and let the dam loose,

Warm water crashing down.

I start to scrub.

And scrub.

The tub frowns back at me the same.

I think I’m going to need a bigger brush.

Scritcha, scritcha, scritcha. One layer gone.

Scritcha, scritcha, scritcha. Two. Three.

My wrist is as limp as a doggy ear.

More Comet. More water. More slaving away like Cinderella.

I think I can even hear my evil step-sisters laughing.

If only, if only I had not waited until the grime came, saw, and conquered!

The clock tick-tocks in rhythm with the scrub brush, but it doesn’t harmonize.

Red knees, cramping arms, everywhere wet, wet, wet,

Forehead and faucet dripping.

Finally!

One last scritcha and I stand up to behold

The fruits of my hard labor.

The tub sparkles gold. Its pages are wiped clean.

It smiles brightly in its new purified state and asks me,

“Why did you wait so long to let me feel this way?

We both would have been happier.”

And then I understand what Alma* meant.

I sigh to myself and decide there is more scrubbing I must do today.

*Alma 34:32–34

Challenge: Follow Alma's counsel.

Comments

Anonymous said…

you are so talented-love -DAD

November 17, 2011 at 1:25 AM

Family Home Evening for Babies

ldsclipart.com Family home evening can sometimes be a challenge because we don't know what to do. This is especially true for those of us with only a baby. There are plenty of ideas for single members, couples, and families, but I have yet to find good suggestions for planning a family home evening lesson for a baby (not yet in Nursery). So I compiled my own list: Read gospel-related board books. They are short and introduce common scripture stories in a very simple manner. Read the scriptures. Elder Bednar said , "Youth of all ages, even infants, can and do respond to the distinctive spirit of the Book of Mormon. Children may not understand all of the words and stories, but they certainly can feel the 'familiar spirit' described by Isaiah ( Isaiah 29:4 ; see also 2 Nephi 26:16 )." Sing Primary songs together. There is no better way to invite the Spirit, teach basic gospel principles, and prepare your baby for Nursery and Primary. Sing inte...

How to Know if the Book of Mormon Is True

photo from lds.org A previous set of elders put me on the 12-week course for new missionaries. Last night as I was finishing up the week on revelation through the Book of Mormon, I came upon this study activity: Read Moroni 10:3-5 and discuss how these verses show what an investigator must do to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon. Discuss the meaning and importance of real intent and how to help investigators develop real intent. I considered skipping it since I had read that scripture passage countless times, especially with studying Preach My Gospel , and because the discussion seemed to focus on real intent, which had been covered thoroughly in that week's study. But I decided to humor myself and do it anyway. And what I learned surprised me. There are actually four steps an investigator must complete before asking God with real intent and receiving an answer: Read the Book of Mormon. How can we know if something is true if we haven't even read it? We have to b...

Preach by the Spirit

ldsclipart.com I'm a writer, editor, and linguist. The words I choose and how I organize them are very important to me. That is why I prefer expressing myself through writing over any other method. I also enjoy public speaking because sharing my insights is exciting. I prepare my speeches, talks, and lessons in advance so I know exactly what I'm going to say. Church talks I always write out word for word to ensure I don't forget anything and so it's coherent and cohesive. As a teen, I would practice my talks until I practically had them memorized. Due to the increased focus on making the Sabbath a delight and sacrament meeting more spiritually fulfilling, our branch president told us he wanted us to have only an outline for our talks and to lean on the Spirit for guidance. Only once have I ever used just an outline. It was September 2006 in my college ward for a talk about how to prepare for general conference, a topic easy to expound with just notes. Two week...

Brightening My Light

Search This Blog