. The Small Pleasure of Folding Clothes: After Anne Sexton’s - Consorting with the Angels. What has changed Anne? I am a mother, the spoons and pans are still here to anchor me to life And the parts of life that take time and are a bore, are part of the routine of Cooking, cleaning, washing, feeding, caring, solving problems, combing nits, cutting the grass, vacuuming the floor, feeding the pets. Part of the joy of this manual labour is its simplicity Its rest from the poem, the painting, the teaching That occupies my mind and hands the rest of the time. There is a small pleasure in folding clothes and putting them into each ones hands. In a freshly made bed, in things ordered and put away. God knows – you do know God How I have struggled with the house and all it entails How I have fought being needed by little ones And been disappointed by rejected caresses as they grow and change. My head and hands yearn for Paint, a pencil, making, thinki...