The Vacuum Cleaner Dealer

The most common source of death to an appliance 
is not the failure to empty the drum 
but to routinely clean the filter.

This is the guidance
he offers for free.
Don’t be seduced by a bagless,

sutured hunk of plastic
waiting to betray you. A good machine should last 
two decades or more.

His shelves are lined
with vintage Electrolux canisters,
tincture blues and greens from space.

He strokes a 1947 model
surrendered by a customer on her way to the nursing home.
I knew you’d take good care of her.

This man with a shop,
who can replace a cord in five minutes 
if you don’t mind waiting,

who put three children through college
on what he made in sales
but will likely be late on rent again,

who has lost thousands
to internet shopping
yet unequivocally believes in repair,

demonstrates the power of 
the largest motor ever to be placed in a vacuum,
in this model he rebuilt from parts.

It’s as if they dance a waltz together,
this man, this machine,
taking turns leading.

CHRISTY PRAHL

Christy Prahl’s debut collection, We Are Reckless, is forthcoming this fall from Cornerstone Press. A Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominee, her work has appeared in Penn Review, Salt Hill Journal, and other publications. She has held residencies at both Ragdale and the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow.