river of tears

the basement flooded
a river flowed in from the corner
where the gutter didn’t quite
reach the pond forming around
the house, we are an island
here and I walked out in bare
feet to lay plastic sheet
hoping to lure the rising
water from my darling house
with the flooded basement
we cried together, the basement
and I, lifting soaking carpet
and moving boxes, their
bottoms falling out from
the dampness
we cried until the water
dried, promising to each other
to prepare the next time
for the water to flow around
the house with both of us dry
inside.