Everything Will Be All Right

Everything Will Be All Right

First
It was the tooth
Cracked beyond repair
Sudden shot of pain
Quelled by drugs,
Not
A good sign.

 Then
Squirrels, tap dancing
In the attic
Rearranging insulation
To their liking
Contemplating a snack on the wiring
Preparing to raise a family

Then the roof,
Dripping water through its riddled
Weather tortured surface
To dampen water colors
And books
Stealthily
Relying on denial
To avoid detection.

 The furnace came next
With a series of feints,
Playing dead,
Limping
Leaking
Unsure of whether
To live or die

And today
The computer
Presenting its grey
Enigmatic
Blank screen
No other color or sign
Of life

My horoscope today
reads cheerfully
Everything
Will be all right

Today the tooth comes out
The plumber has begun
His magic
In the cellar
And I think
The exterminator is due
To evict the squirrels

The roof
Was tidied up last week

And perhaps
The next time I turn on the computer
There  will be  a reassuring glow,
 Followed by messages of
Harmony, plenty, justice and
World peace
On the radiant
Screen.