Something is always broken in the house—The dryer vent, the smoke alarm, the range,A glue trap with a not-quite-murdered mouse,The coffee pot, a bulb that needs a change.I right some wrongs, and others I put off.I clean, I exercise, I take a nap.The kids need picking up. One has a cough,The other watches TV in my lap.We’re out of pita bread, we’re out of soap.I might walk to the market, I might not.Bedtime grows later. There is always hopeFor sex if we’re not tired. We’re tired a lot.My wife works hard. I do the best I can.No one who looks at me can see a man.