gotta take the truck in again
the light just came on
and it’s shuddering
when I start it up
I can understand
having a hard time
getting moving
I can understand
that some things
may never be fixed
despite
what the mechanics
and the therapists
and the bartenders
and my mom
promised
no matter how much
I want them to be
but in the tree
in the front of my house
some birds have built
a nest out of broken branches
maybe that’s what
everything else is too
maybe we’ve got
to make something
of all the pieces we’ve got
of all that’s fallen apart
maybe in time
all these shards we’ve saved
can even look like a home

Alexander Shalom Joseph is an award-winning poet, writer and playwright from Gilpin County, and is the author of seven published books. You can find his work and more information about him at www.alexandershalomjoseph.com.