Hidden Holiness

Pledge

Lately, I’ve been thinking about

the spray can of lemon-scented

furniture polish my mother used

to carry with her through the house—

how she aimed, then easily wiped

away the film of dust that had

gathered on every surface that week.

We owned nothing fancy—no cedar

or mahogany—but she made those

particle board shelves and scuffed

Goodwill tables gleam with …