333 Legion Drive.

it is 9 a.m

outside my window

a hydraulic excavator

smashes rebar skeletons

last week the landlord left a slip

that rent was going up

on account of inflation

and the cost to run things

meanwhile,

3 of 4 washers do not drain,

1 dryer doesn't heat up,

1 dryer doesn’t spin,

the roof leaks straight to a black spot

in the carpet

the roaches scurry over the plates

and Tupperware in the cupboard,

old couples yell through thin walls

young couples have sex on thin floors

everyone suffering from

love too pure

or love not enough

and I think it absurd

not to write poetry

in a time like this