Renovation

[We started a writing group, Rumana and I and a couple of friends… modeled on Terry Wolverton's approach in the late 80s and early 90s. Two meetings so far; and we're all writing. This poem, blunt though it is, came to me clearly – that sense of making something:…]

 

Nowhere to move, so

work will need to

go on around me.

 

Said it might make sense to just

rip out all the veins,

start over,

replace the stuff on the roof with

something darker – more modern.

 

There are obvious patches of rot

and damp

and infestations;

yes, definitely, infestations.

 

You can see patches

along the arms,

especially across the main joints

and also

across the supporting bits of the

infrastructure

(legs to you).

 

The heating is pretty wonky…

Replace the whole furnace?

Really?

That will be expensive.

Ah, well…

 

Yes, the arch of the foot on the right

keeps collapsing.

Yes, all right, replace:

newer, more modern

materials.

 

All that central processing –

brain, eyes, whatnot –

yes, well.

Well.

You can see

that they’re simply

much older technology.

 

Maybe – can’t guarantee, but –

upload,

data cleaned out, restored,

then you want to dump it all onto a new

two-terabyte –

yes well of course backups –

with brightly flashing

lights.

 

All those tubes and valves –

sure, whole system –

around the cross pins

and those bits above

might as well just be replaced –

 

but I guess only

if you can still get that model…

 

        ***

 

The tough part is

that central pump.

Veins, passions, feelings,

faulty valves, scarred patches,

the whole is pretty much worn out –

 

face it, it’s going to be a matter of

Yank it out,

replace,

send to the trash heap.

 

But, of course,

if we’re going to do that,

 

it’s clear

 

that, really,

 

if we’d thought of it

 

 

we would just

 

 

 

have built

 

 

 

 

from scratch.