good bones

good bones,

the agent says,

as she

spreads

her arms out wide

to present the old house.

brick

and mortar,

hardwood,

and steel, plaster walls.

1930s,

she says it has good

bones.

my father used to say

that about

cars and women.

good bones, he'd said,

look

at bone structure,

see how they sway

in the wind,

how they stand up

to bad weather.,

hard times.

can they sustain

reliability over time?