The Aftermath

Pass it by

because that’s the only thing you can do

because there’s no helping it now

because no number of nails and fresh boards can fix

the real problem.

 

A decade,

give or take,

flowed by

molasses from a broken jar

in the empty husk of a home.

 

The family

with calloused hands and strong able bodies

awakened

to the smell of smoke and

the reality

that milk checks are outweighed

by nine to five.

 

The farmers don’t live here

anymore.