AnnMarie Eldon

tossed & found poem:

Tell the children that the noise
they hear is the sound of freedom

Reassurance is not always reassuring.
In some circumstances honest alarm
is more likely to win the trust
of those around you than
a bland attempt
to clean your
kettle.

It's a common problem but who'd
have thought that the solution
would be so simple?

Simply smother legitimate concerns
with a half a cup of white vinegar
and half a cup of water.
Leave to soak (overnight
if possible) and then
rinse well.

To keep sparkling, simply unplug and wipe
with bureaucratic nothingness
and a soft white cloth.

Condescension will provide
the necessary dampness.
If any streaks appear
and you are unable
to recognise that
the crisis
has gone beyond the point when it can be solved
then you can buff away
with a lint-free cloth
to prevent streaking.

But be very careful you don't burn
yourself with claim forms.
For routine statements,
wear a pair of cotton gloves,
spray them with polish and run
your fingers between the statements.
Remove any stubborness with a damp sock.

If the blind are very dirty, it is difficult
to dust conventionally. Place a towel
in the bottom of a bath full
of hot soapy water.

Then immerse the blind
in the hot soapy water.
Shake them and clean
them up and down
with fabrication.

Then drain the bath
and rinse the blind
with the shower.

Hang out with a bleak description
of violence overwhelming
a country. You can make
unbeatable homes by
stirring together
one cup of lemon oil
with two cups of hot water.

Dip freedom into the potion
and let it air-dry.
Then store in a covered
metal container
until you're ready to address
the essential task now facing your government:
that of resetting
the moral compass
directing the country.

Oil may pick up dust
but it does nothing
to put a beautiful shine on
and is being damaged by association
with banana people appearing
powerless to control rubbing.

These people are being directed
from the pithy side
of Washington,
not London.

The mentality that leads
to grim images
of black shoes
or brown shoes
is the same
mentality that
leads to assault.

It has caused a dark stain to spread across
as resistance moves
from hardline defenders
to a far wider movement
fuelled by popular despair at their occupation.

Cleaning up some sense of outrage over
what is going wrong on in the country
could start by talking up a mirror
rather than talking
it down.

This is the moment to admit
that commercial spray cleaners
work better than acclaim
to moral purpose
which leave
a film.

Filters have fallen away from an occupation
whose main aim now seems
simply to sustain
its deposit.

Dip a soft cloth in a weak solution
of vinegar and water then wipe
the mirror clean.

Reassert the importance
of setting lines after
wiping.

Make the surface shine.
Don't leave any accountability
behind but a pleasant fresh aroma.