Getting Over a Cold

Margaret Kogan

First open the windows and empty the garbage.
Next start the laundry, lights and darks.
Strip the bed, wash sheets, pillowcases,
mattress and quilt covers, mats and towels.

Then clean the house. Dust, vacuum,
mop and scrub. Get into the corners.
Now lie on the couch and listen to music
so sweet it must be Schubert, at the same time

listening to the laundry churning,
the dog’s soft sigh coming from across the room,
your breath, sliding in and out. Think,
What have I done to deserve such happiness?