the roofer

she needs her roof
fixed. but she's alone.
there is no man to climb
up there and take
a look. when it rains.
it leaks. she has placed
buckets and bowls
where the water drips
down. she sets her
alarm for two o'clock
in the morning to empty
them. this goes on
for days, into a week
before the plumber comes
who says it isn't a pipe,
and then the carpenter
who says it isn't
wood. then the roofer
who can't find a leak
either, but throws
everything he has
at the point where
it might be coming
in, which works. and this
is the man she marries.