Winner of Writer's Cramp 24Sep20 |
hello again another dark dreary morning in this house with blindfolded windows with flowers that cry for water and light bags of trash piled on the porch now home to desperate raccoons an old bicycle rusts in the yard as highway traffic rushes by weeds and brush have grown through the gray chain-link fence yellow sunflowers and goldenrod counter the purple-fruited mulberries and surround the backyard shed that leans 30 degrees to the east with roofing blown away and rotted floor that now only stores nuts for squirrels a huge sweetgum tree threatens the house like a giant preparing to smash in the roof Virginia creeper grows over windows and up the side of the house lawn chairs and shade umbrellas have been folded away for years paint has peeled from a basketball goal it's plywood layers continue to separate dad would raise holy hell if he could see how neglected the yard is these days after he retired he'd go to no end to keep this yard perfect and pristine he passed away face down in the driveway I inherited the house but my weak heart and a general lack of funds prevents me from keeping his standards of lawn care This yard is a great source of guilt I can barely keep the grass mowed let alone cut brush out of the fence around the house shed and garage I'd sell but I have no place for my stuff I'm tempted to give it away to charity I could torch it and collect insurance but I prefer this prison over the other 40 Lines
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