2005/sometimes.wpd

Seeing the sprawling hose strewn
across the walkway and deck,
waiting for the watering to be done,
I dread the coiling to come,
the heavy, wet hose dripping on my
legs and feet, an odious chore
I’ve spent years trying to solve or fix.
Studying hose reels everywhere I found myself,
but none of the hose reels fit on my deck,
requiring a wider space to mount.
Finally, I found one that would,
four times the cost, ten times as heavy.
But what of that?
It was a two-man job to mount it,
but we got it done.
Within two weeks its weight
had pulled the deck apart.
It hung there, a ragged mess,
while I vainly searched for someone
who would re-build the deck.

7/13/05