jumper

when I leave
the house I see my neighbor
with
a snarl of jumper cables
in his hand.
it's cold.
there's ice on the windshields.
the thick frost
of night hastaken hold.
jump me?
he says.
okay, I tell him
and pull my car around.
it's the third time
this week.
I suggest that maybe
he needs
a new battery, to which
he says, yeah,
you might be right.
I point at his front left
tire that is beyond
low. he nods
and says. man.
I give him the jump.
with the cables clamped
I churn my engine,
and away we go
once more.