Yellow Tape. By Michael Estabrook

He knows all about roofs

23 years in the business he’s comfortable up there

but not complacent always pays attention to where the edges are

As a veteran he teaches the newbies the ropes:

how to slide the shingles, position the nail gun

Works up there with his brother

thought of starting their own company but it’s too complicated

Today they were finishing up a higher 2-story flat roof

needed to mark the edges with yellow tape

if OSHA comes by can levy a heavy fine

Does get hot up there have to stay hydrated keep your cap on

Three generations of roofers

my grandpa helped start the company

they still pay him even though he’s retired

For some reason we all like to gamble, smoke and drink beer

We like working Sundays

can make some good money working Sundays

But I don’t have any roofing stories so nothing

to contribute to the conversation

simply sit and listen wishing I were up on the roof now

so I could jump the hell off it

Michael Estabrook:

Retired now writing more poems and working more

outside just noticed two Cooper’s hawks

staked out in the yard or rather above it

which explains the nerve-wracked chipmunks.

The Poet’s Curse, A Miscellany (The Poetry Box, 2019)

is a recent collection.