in the interim he would have to save the barn
from immanent collapse and therein create
a suite for his future mother-in-law so he helped
the carpenter jack up the backside a half-foot
to replace rotten sill and sketched out plans     tracked down
a building permit     suspended new doors and windows
learned to use a variable-speed screwdriver far from expertly
hung drywall     painted walls and floors     laid vinyl flooring
and then     while waiting for plumbers to finish that job
it was a honeymoon ferry trip to Mohegan Island
as well as a traipse along autumnal Popham Beach
as he formally became oh so trustingly hers
as if any of this was in any way near finished

Poem copyright 2015 by Jnana Hodson
To read the full set of squirrelly poems, click here.