The Tao of Weary Old Men

i love the nests
sparrows left
in my shed
and this tangle
of trees,
the way laurel
just won't quit
and china berry
and sycamore
and the smell
of these old leaves
thick on the ground
and how blackberry
went crazy
way out back
and bamboo
is taking over
by the creek

i love how the sun
subdues the color
of what was
once so brash and new
and paint flaking off the siding
and these old rusty roofs
and why would
a man destroy this
this blunt splendor
with hammer and paint
and noisy old
chain saw