Leland Hamsfeld broke his boat
just threw it ‘gainst the curb
he bent and picked the pieces up
and sat, without a word
one by one, old Leland placed
the pieces back together
till finally the boat was back
though it creaked against the weather
sweet Violet Jane, she took her doll
and cut off all her hair
the locks fell down around her gown
past her black, doll-eyed stare
then Violet grabbed some horsehoof glue
to set about her chore
of pasting hair back to the scalp
no hairdo, any more
still as they grew, they found more things
to break and then repair
fixed up things that seemed to lack
the verve that got them there
yet all the while, the earth still turns
the morningbird still sings,
but oh, the things that men will break
in the name of fixing things.
