A Mountain On The Lawn Poem by Donal Mahoney

You have the back rent
and come home from work
and find everything in a mountain
out on the lawn with the kids
sitting on the curb crying
unable to get in after school.

You spend the night in the car
with your wife and the kids.
They're all scared
and you wonder what
to do in the morning.
You can't go to work with
everything on the lawn.
Neither can your wife.
What about the kids
and school?

Storage costs money
but that's your back rent
or maybe rent for a new place.
How would you move
all that stuff anyway?
Who would help?
You tell your wife
everything will all work out,
both of you knowing
it's all just begun.