Mechanics

(previously published by Apalachee Review)

There are tricks to everything,

none of which I know.

Clever clues like quarters

glued to pavement—how to rotate

crops, close deals, please

teach me to fix toilets,

work camcorders, blow smoke

rings, kill with two fingers.

Three years at father’s garage

and I can’t cut a rotor,

change oil, I forget which direction

sets screws free. Lawnmowers

mow and I know

not why. Light bulbs brighten

while mine remains dim–

dimming–dimmer–till what’s left

I wonder, but to place

one foot in front of the other.

Do the math. Sound it out.