i may not
always have things
like electricity
or groceries
but i have never
been late
on my rent once

my list of
importance
goes like this
her/the kids
a can of tuna
for cleo the calico
a handful of seed
for the sparrows
and maintaining
a place to hide

i don’t need much
the universe
supplies little
except miseries
and i have learned
to do without
to the point
anything at all
feels like a luxury

so i take offense
to a known glitch
on the landlord’s
payment portal
of which i had already
responded to a call
asking if i had paid
with a resounding
of course
only to find
notice of eviction
papers on the door

mistakes happen
but when the kids
know how i struggle
and then i have to
explain to them
why the papers say
i need to vacate
for lack of payment
isn’t my being
an abject failure
that can barely
squeak through life
but another one of
those universal fuckings
that seems to be
drawn to me

a simple case of
adding insult
to perjury
more nightflowers
of anxiety to
keep me from sleep
leaving dreams of
having enough as
little more than
a slap in the
negative self esteem