A handy dusting tool,
the Swiffer,
a fluffy white ruff,
a cottony paper puff
stuck on a stick
that extends
with a twist of the wrist,
so you can dust high or low,
behind or in between.
My cat thinks he’s a Swiffer.
Sunny, who’s new here,
sleeps around the house
in his fabulously fluffy
pet-me-now fur,
creamy white,
tipped with points
of red-gold light,
and sports
little white gloves
on his feet.
Since his arrival,
Sunny has been
exploring,
inspecting,
and dusting
every surface,
every cranny and crevice,
every hidey-hole in the house
with his beautiful Swiffer-self…
…behind the washer and dryer,
…on office shelves over our heads,
…under low cabinets, under beds,
…in neglected corners of closets,
…inside the flat-screen armoire
in that snaky tangle of cords
behind the electronics,
…even in the nearly-flat-cat space
between the fireplace insert
and the sooty fireplace wall.
What a fluffy mess when
Sunny’s creamy-white
emerges not-so-bright,
and his white gloves
lose their gleaming.
Fortunately, it’s not
a problem very long.
Our Swiffer is
self-cleaning.
Ann Keiffer
February, 2013
