Cleaning an Attic
By Brent Pallas
The day had finally come
when everything there
seemed misplaced or out of place
as an ex's box of things. The unused
beside the irreplaceable, the easy-
to-assemble uncomplicated now
by disuse. Some hand
of randomness leaving behind
its lampshades stained
like ancient maps, its ladders
still climbing upward, and enough
old tools to restart a world.
Every drawer filled
with the other half of things.
Everything care embraced,
and held once as new,
left too ragged for another winter
to wear. Its ring of keys
dangling by a nail
for rooms left long ago. And whatever
I said I'd never forget
found, just as it seemed
completely forgot—all its letters
beginning with Dear...
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I had plans to get a whole bunch of household chores done on Monday, but they were postponed when Adam received a notification from the University of Maryland that his apartment had failed inspection and he had until tonight to get it clean. So even though the kitchen mess was almost entirely his ex-roommate's, we had to go to College Park to clean out his kitchen, meaning that half the stuff in the freezer had to be tossed, counters and dishes had to be cleaned, measuring cups had to be replaced, and noodles had to be stored in Adam's closet.
We were tired when we got home and had emails to answer, so we watched Man of Steel while we did those. Our neighbor who was our house- and cat-sitter while we were away stopped by to give the cats a present with an electronic tail, we had chick'n in peanut sauce for dinner, then we watched Suicide Squad, which was remarkably unimpressive; I will never understand what people see in Harley Quinn or The Joker apart from the fun of cosplaying as them. From Paramount Pictures, some more warehouse treasures and working studio sights:
Best Picture Oscar for Titanic
Lucille Ball's office from when this part of the lot was Desilu
School of Rock cast trailers
Katharine Hepburn's dressing room
The Six Million Dollar Man
Joachim Phoenix's throne from Gladiator
Special effects department
