Every second of daylight
Was utilized working outside.
And the wet days for cleaning
Mending tools and clothing.
And for working outside.
Winter was almost upon them
And not only was their list
Of must-dos undone
The list was now almost doubled.
Meals grew simpler, soupier.
Nightly discussions they once cherished
Became a series of shared sighs and snores.
The stacks of books now had a coating
Of grease-laden dust.
In his other life
Richard had never built a book-end
Stopped a leaky faucet
Cultivated an avocado.
Equally unhandy were his sons
David having studied the viola
And Jake macrobiology.
Now their hands, arms, and legs
Were black with bruises and blisters
Red with fresh abrasions
Their tendons strained, their joints sore
Their minds numb with fatigue.