Tidy the Restlessness

I am the need for order near the suffering of chaos:
A rug aligned with our wood floor geometry
Spoons in a drawer arranged just so
A picture frame tipped right from its lazy tilt

My house, a ship in rough seas resists these
tiny nudges and birds still batter the windows
and the bats come back, with the ants and Chipmunks
make a symphony of scrabbling in the walls.

Lately, I listen for the sound of microbial droplets
pinging our tabletops and wonder what super power
of observation plus strategy might turn away
invading interlopers

I tidy the restlessness, wipe my dog’s paws when
she returns from her wanderings, reposition a
chair, turn the music up loud to keep the clattering
in cupboards at bay. Wipe my dog’s paws again.
Then wash my own.