SLOW SINK

    

 

I woke up in the morning,
ready for the first sip of coffee,
the milk pot waiting on the stove,
the filter ready to brew.

But there it was—
the sink,
still holding yesterday’s water.

A slow sink,
a little task waiting for me,
a little drain
slowly draining my energy.

I pressed it with a brush.
Tapped it with my palm.
Tried a ladle,
then a hard wooden stick.

No, no, no—
the water refused to flow.

Something had got stuck,
somewhere in the narrow way—
a curry leaf,
a tiny piece of tamarind,
a seed,
a nut—
who knows what?

I pressed.
I pulled.
I pushed.
I forced the stick in,
trying to knock away
whatever had blocked
the path of the water.

Then came
a slim brush,
a needle,
a thin piece from a broom.

And finally—
a little natural fibre,
a strand of dry coconut fibre.

I pulled.

And there it was!

A tiny spiral of fibre,
perhaps a vegetable peel,
twisted into a little ball,
playing hide-and-seek
inside the pipeline.

Found you!

I pulled it out
and watched the water
find its way again.

The sink was free.
The flow was fine.

And suddenly,
so was I.

The morning had begun
with a slow sink,
but ended
with a small victory.

Sometimes,
it isn't the big problems
that disturb our day.

Sometimes,
it is just
a tiny thing stuck in the way—

waiting to be found,
pulled out,
and released.

And with the water flowing,
the coffee brewing,
and the kitchen breathing again,

I took my first sip
with relief.

A clear sink.
A clear flow.
A good start to the day.

( Put the date, the title chosen, and the name of the sponsor in the poet's note section : 

Date : August 18-2026

Title Chosen :   SLOW SINK

Name of the sponsor : Edward  Ibeh )

This poem is a part of Poetry soup's poetry contest . Details here : (https://www.poetrysoup.com/poetry/contests/this_or_that_vol_40_24144)