Bob arrived at 10 AM ready to work.

A dry hot stillness

Presaged two hours of sweat.

Maybe I had sabotaged his Sunday

By proposing we dine in our neighborhood Saturday night?

Saturday’s dinner at the Village had been

Proceeded by a 15-minute tour of our roof deck.

Where a skylight had sprung a leak,

The water rained down on our living room

And soaked our couch and the surrounding floor.

Bob, an engineer by training and disposition,

Suggested how we might handle the problem

Until the fall and winter rains had passed.

He also suggested he could come tomorrow morning at 10.

With a 6’4” healthy body

And equipped with every tool that might be imagined

He set to work.                                                                                                                  

First task was disassembling the benches..

Next was stuffing any potential leaks.

By 11:30 we (that included Diana and me

Who served as runners) had the tarpaulins,

And plastic sheeting  secured,

And the disassembled parts back in place. 

This is not the first or fifth time

Bob has come to our rescue.

Our response to his generosity

“May not” exceed a very small gift certificate