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Alan Dugan - Love Song: I And Thou
Work rating: Low

Nothing is plumb, level, or square: 
   the studs are bowed, the joists 
are shaky by nature, no piece fits 
   any other piece without a gap 
or pinch, and bent nails 
   dance all over the surfacing 
like maggots. By Christ 
   I am no carpenter. I built 
the roof for myself, the walls 
   for myself, the floors 
for myself, and got 
   hung up in it myself. I 
danced with a purple thumb 
   at this house-warming, drunk 
with my prime whiskey: rage. 
   Oh I spat rage’s nails 
into the frame-up of my work: 
   it held. It settled plumb, 
level, solid, square and true 
   for that great moment. Then 
it screamed and went on through, 
   skewing as wrong the other way. 
God damned it. This is hell, 
   but I planned it, I sawed it, 
I nailed it, and I 
   will live in it until it kills me. 
I can nail my left palm 
   to the left-hand crosspiece but 
I can’t do everything myself. 
   1 need a hand to nail the right, 
a help, a love, a you, a wife.
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