*a poem by Rose Milligan, first published in the 1990s in The Lady, a long running – since 1885 – magazine in the U.K. Based in London, it was referenced in Downton Abbey when Lady G was helping Dowager Lady G find a new maid, which makes perfect sense as it’s best known as a place to put your classified ad seeking household help, maids, nannies, and etc. Lately, it is known for holiday housing listings.
My mother hated dusting; it was one of the earliest chores my younger sister and I were assigned. I’m not a fan of doing it, either (get rid of dust-gathering stuff, hello!) – but – I also do NOT like seeing dusty surfaces, which – when the sun starts highlighting it in spring, or in fall as now as the sun tilts in through my windows at another, sharper angle – it has to go! This poem reminds me of my grandmother, because I know she would appreciate it as I do.
Dust if you must, but wouldn’t it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there’s not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, and books to read;
Friends to cherish, and life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world’s out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it’s not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.