by Barbara Loots

The cat has a flapdoor for in-and-out going.
The gutters un-gummed keep the rainwater flowing.
The hinge that was squeaky?
The pipe that was leaky?
All fixed.
And that ratty old table? Antique-y!
The junk is hauled out
and the basement is clean.
A shim solves the shimmying
washing machine.
The driveway is sealed
from the house to the street.
The weeds in the grass
have gone down to defeat.
The porch swing is painted.
The sidewalk cemented.
The frenzied refurbishing?
Almost demented.
Have you been distraught, dear,
with nothing to do?
This buzzing and sawing
just isn’t like you!
Devotion by demo?
I don’t need the proof!
For godsake, my darling,
come down from the roof!