On a day he smelled a stink

below his sink,

all he could think

of was the sound of roof rats

behind the wall behind his

sink.

At that time, a week

before,

he was glad there were no

quarter-sized holes or cracks

through which the critters

could sneak.

By the way,

as he sniffed the

stink,

his computer mail

had gone cafluey.

He went to church

to receive what would

spiritually

nourish

and heard the preacher

read a quote from someone

somewhere to a congregation

in a rush,

“Life is a mess, don’t lose your

paintbrush.”

He called a friend back home

who said his pastor

spoke of the master

weaver who incorporated

every students’ mistake and into

a beautiful weaving did make.

Nothing went to waste.

Jesus made medicine

out of mud and spit

and gave the man

sight.

Jesus gives us dirt

and says, “Spit on

this site

and you will see

the painting and the

weaving of life.”

And the man, who

did not expect a

resuscitation of

the rat not named

Lazarus, sniffed under

the sink and

said, “Tomorrow, I’ll

take another sniff and

spray bleach on that

place

and hope the

stinky carcass will

neutralize in some

other space.”

And the computer’s mail?

The Apple did not fail.

The old, dead carcass of

a computer was resuscitated,

the man reinvigorated,

and he kept his poetic

paintbrush in a nearby

pail.