It's not everyday that I can combine remodeling and poetry. That happened tonight at my writing group thanks to this poem, our prompt: “Daily I Fall in Love with Waitresses” by Elliot Fried. (Teaching friends, this is really fun to use in a class.) Here's my version with poetic license—they all might have all their teeth.
Daily I Fall in Love with the Demolition Crew
Daily I fall in live with the demolition crew
with their white dust masks
with their white dust masks
KEITH DENISE BRAD KEVIN
and steel-toed boots.
and steel-toed boots.
I love how they bend over sheetrock
sweeping debris.
sweeping debris.
Their flannel shirts unbuttoned above hammers
t-shirts peaking out like Mt. Rainier—
a frozen volcano.
I feel their fingers
calloused inside their nitrile gloves
pat me down.
t-shirts peaking out like Mt. Rainier—
a frozen volcano.
I feel their fingers
calloused inside their nitrile gloves
pat me down.
Their biceps and well used bodies
keep moving so…
pounding and ripping so seamlessly
that I am left weak and panting.
keep moving so…
pounding and ripping so seamlessly
that I am left weak and panting.
Daily I fall in love with the demolition crew
with their can-do deconstruction.
with their can-do deconstruction.
They tell secrets by the dump truck
and I want them.
and I want them.
They carry wallboard posts nails lino
their legs are crowbar strong.
their legs are crowbar strong.
They are a husband his wife her grown son
and my husband.
and my husband.
They are tear-it-down tricky—
they know how tiles crack.
they know how tiles crack.
Their missing teeth frame missing walls
and single-paned Sayonaras.
and single-paned Sayonaras.
Daily I fall in love with the demolition crew.
They are sledgehammer inspiration
but they never stand still long enough
as they wreck wreck wreck.
but they never stand still long enough
as they wreck wreck wreck.
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