Sump Pump

Sump Pump

Of voicelessness and fatigue,
of thee I sing,
too, not only petals or cubed
red gelatin or
alphabet refrigerator magnets,
words from
marks. Of overflowing toilets,
stopped-up
showers, mice safe in a wall
within your
home. That propensity toward
flooding,
fumbling for sump pump and
snow plow and
salt. The bad stuff, we take care
of it, we care
for it. It takes love to unravel
the leathery
welts we head for, unwinding.