Dog Days, Painting, and Turpentine

Dog Days, Painting, and Turpentine

Summer swelter with no sign of rain

Unfortunately means it’s that time again

Pushed it off for far too long

Made excuses all along

But peeling paint and dirty walls

Stains on ceilings and down the halls

And colors fading from the sun

No putting off what must be done

Hemmed and hawed and sighed a bit

Sounded like a hypocrite

Up off the couch and to the shed

Cloudless skies stretch overhead

Now to find that box of painting stuff

Buried deep, that’s sure enough

Electrical wire and plumbing parts

Blueprints, maps, and planning charts

Keep on digging it must be here

No one would take my painting supplies

I’m just a mess and disorganized

At the bottom it comes in sight

That broken down box splattered white

Paintbrushes and a stirring stick

Putty to fill in those little nicks

Rollers, pads, and masking tape

Drop cloth and a tool to scrape

Paint bucket, rags, and turpentine

Sandpaper; coarse, medium, and fine

A little worn but not worn out

To do the job I’ve set about

A few last items while I’m on a roll

Folding ladder and extension pole

Now the prep, the tape and cover

You’ll never know what you discover

Moving things around the room

That sudden need for a mop and broom

Darkness in those dusty corners

Faded lines where woodwork borders

Nothing that a fresh coat can’t hide

It will look perfect once the paint has dried

The preparation took most of the day

And now the daylight is slipping away

Maybe painting inside today isn’t in the cards

After all, there’s work to do in the front yard

Additional Writing From This Author

Broken Brushstrokes, Interruptions, and Magnificence

The Weed Covered Lot

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R J Schwartz

I write about everything and sometimes nothing at all.I'm fascinated by old things, rusty things, abandoned places, or anywhere that a secret might be unearthed.I'm passionate about history and many of my pieces are anchored in one concept of time or another.I've always been a writer, dating back to my youth, but the last decade has been a time of growth for me.I'm continually pushing the limitations of vocabulary, syntax, and descriptive phrasing.

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