What? Your bedroom’s a mess.
Why so many clothes piled on the rocker?
And where’d you find that poster of a
bareback rider at the circus?
I’d suggest you get a print by Renoir or Monet.
You can get it framed and covered with glass.
And what’s with the cobweb in the corner
by the vent? Let me guess—you haven’t
cleaned in months. Your lifestyle is out of hand.
Good thing I arrived just after midnight.
I have till morning to give suggestions for
you to make things right.
About your décor, the orange corduroy
pillows and the mauve and tan spread—
there might be something seriously wrong
with your head, or maybe your eyesight.
Your motto seems to be, “Color matching
is not for me.” The way you decorate
is definitely a crime. When I’m done in here
I’ll make my way to the kitchen.
I’m so glad I decided to stop by.
I feel like I’ll save you just in time.

Karen Loeb writes poetry and fiction in Eau Claire—recent work in Big City Lit, Muddy River Poetry Review and elsewhere. She considers it fortunate to have participated in visual artist Pat Granger’s Jungian dream workshop in Tampa, Florida for about six or seven years a long time back.