In this house I see a good deal of chaos,
at least forty years of accumulated junk:
mail saved for no clear purpose--but only, just in case--
bottles and jars that serve no obvious function,
a surfeit of clothing,
typewriters which have not been used for a good twenty years,
and other miscellaneous items,
all of which apparently have sentimental value for our parents.
--And all that is just inside the house:
Let's not talk about the miscellaneous pieces of wood,
painted and unpainted,
rotting and not,
defective machine parts,
and other junk,
that our father has been saving outside,
because he hates to throw anything away.
(Thank god his bathroom habits are an exception to the rule,
although he does enjoy gazing German-style into the toilet bowl,
in order to survey his accomplishments there,
bidding farewell to the products of his healthy digestive system.)
And you expect me, somehow, to bring order into this mess?!
I think that perhaps you don't understand that our parents are mostly happy about the things they have saved, and are in no hurry--whatever they may happen to say (actions speak louder than words)--to get rid of anything.....
I wanted to say that you are mad, insane, verrückt, šiši, loca....
But let's imagine you mean it as a compliment.
Well, flattery is not appropriate here.
So, maybe you should reconsider...
After all, I really am not Hercules.
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