Revision: The Long Run

The Long Run
It is good sometimes to drop a plumb-line
to the basement and find subsidence;
lie prone in a crawlspace and point a light
at dessicated mice in dusty traps;
hold your hand against the seams of a house
and feel the cold air seep.

To be reminded, I mean, of the long run
and of decay, that maintenance is vanity,
that when your neighbor finds your body
at the bottom of the stairs
he may empty out your wallet
before calling the police.