When the phone call comes I am on my knees
in the bathroom scrubbing the tub. The bath mat
is inadequate protection against
the tiles, as well as being damp. Damp blue
towel, hard blue floor, knees that feel sore
more quickly than they used to. Hoped for,
but not expected, the call represents
a miracle—never mind what kind—fill in
the blank: money, love, success—whatever
you’ve tried at 3 A.M. not to covet,
and failed. So here I am, bent like any soldier
to protect my vitals, accustomed to the daily
digging in—it’s the surprise of change that makes
good fortune and bad luck feel the same.