A Day Thirsty Poem by Susan Lacovara

I spent a thirsty day without water
Agitated and aggravated
As it was not of my doing
Instead the result of a drunken landlord
Who'd rather be quenched by vodka
Then pay his utility bills
And hides behind shuttered windows
When the collection man comes
To keep my mind from the mindless excuses
I busied myself beneath the breathing sun
While the wasted landlord locked away
And left me to come up with a plan
A payment and a positive attitude
I dare not let him destroy today
In the overgrown garden, at ease
My thoughts given to greater good
Of unearthing beauty and blending
Into a peacefulness my own
Shameful for he doesn't care to get better
Rally and right himself
Join the ranks of the living well
In the soil of my sanctuary
A thirsty day over, and I am spent
Glad to be productive
Given the circumstance of watching
One wither away under the abuse of alcohol
And it 's destructive drain
Turn on the faucet and wash the grime
The grit that makes the landlord's life
So different, thank God, from mine