By Leeron Heywood — 17 Apr 2025

Pinned Tight To Unseeable Strings

20250417

Whump Whump Thump
Ah. Oh dear.
Whump Whack Smack
Linda’s doing the carpets again.
I lean back and peer out the window. I can just make her out in our little paved garden. Hair scraped into a bun and throttled with a tea towel. Feet planted wide. Squared shoulders practically twanging. Plain smock billowing with each strike of the broom handle against the swaying pinned scapegoats.
Repentant clouds escape on the wind. A few try to strike back but are thwarted by her mask and swimming goggles.
She is armoured. Ready. Strong. The aggressor. In control. Unassailable.
I set my work aside and go downstairs to the kitchen. Put the kettle on. Arrange a selection of biscuits on one of the rabbit plates.
Whack smack thump
She’s still at it. The rhythm remains steady but the strikes become increasingly wild, no longer landing with precision. Perhaps despite the goggles dust has crept into her eyes. Or perhaps something else is lodged in them.
Better prepare a jug of water too. I slice a lemon.
Smack smack SMACK
I finish the half-loaded dishwasher and wipe down the sides. The breakfast nook is already tidy and ready.
Smack smack
The unfinished beat hangs in the air. I realise my breath has caught.
In the garden Linda is standing limp, head bowed and arms fallen to her sides. Dangling like the carpets. Suspended on strings I can’t quite see.
I pour steaming water on the tea and swaddle the pot in its cosy. By the time Linda’s showered, and I’ve put the carpets back, it’ll be a perfect strong brew. Just what she needs.
We’ll sit in the nook, with tea and biscuits and sunshine and flowers. And I’ll ask. And I’ll listen.
And maybe this time she’ll be able to talk about it.

Prompt was “Show a powerful emotion – love, grief, rage - in a quiet, everyday moment.”
[I decided to aim for two contrasting powerful emotions in two separate yet connected moments; rage being channelled into cleaning, and love demonstrated by acts of care. Did they both come through? Did one work better than the other?]

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