Everything will take longer than you planned.
You will plan too many things to do
In every free day, half-day, and hour.
All the things you plan are needful,
Or dutiful, or merciful, contain the possibility of failure
Or bad news, or want some etiquette.
And you will be infinitely distractible by sugar,
Or sex, or clearance tables,
Or the quest for perfectly arranged furniture,
Or deaths, or recipes. The blinds will not be hung today,
The threadbare rug will still be on the floor,
The shelf for family photos leans against the wall tonight
Exactly where you left it in the morning. Thank you notes
And Get Well cards remain unwritten.
Your driver’s license goes on unrenewed.
You forget again and eat before you leave the house, so
Once again your bloodwork’s late. You will disappoint
Yourself, every living, running, malingering day.
And never in your sweet, short life
Will you accept these grinning facts.

From Pinning the Bird to the Wall (Tres Chicas Books, 2008).
Used with the author’s permission.