99poems/better

The grass greens,
rain drips,
the roof beams sprout
a troublesome mold.

This morning,
thumbing through
my notebook,
I passed by the list
of things we need
to do.

Sawing off the beams
is one of them.
Rain gutters another.
Luckily it has been
a dry winter.

I awoke today
concerned about
the leaves piled
up on the deck.
Mulching.
Wondering where
to find
cheap help.

A list is like
a dent in the car –
if it’s not too bad
it’s best to keep
the one you’ve got.
So I leave mine
untouched.

1/20/99