Hertha crawls out from under the sink when she hears
Barbara come into the kitchen. I tightened a valve
so the faucet won’t drip. Hertha holds up a tool.
Isn’t it beautiful how pliers open and shut
like hands, but can pinch and pull more?
No. Other mothers host tea parties.
They don’t work with dynamos or keep socks
in a drawer to give to beggars. Mum, those men smell.
Some folks are down on their luck. It can happen to anyone.
Hertha puts back the pliers that can hold tight and bend.