Maintenance
- Maintenance
—from Old French, maintenir: to hold in the hand
I know what's expected. Seriously. I'm on duty here.Watchful, yes.
"Maintain: 1. To keep in good condition by making repairs,correcting problems."
Don't worry.Seriously. I've taken care of it.Filled the prescriptionAdjusted the thermostat burped the babyThe heater cover's on back orderI tried to match the old one.
(Are you sure you're okay?)
It's all kept running by invisible hands—Hands that hold. Touch.
It's saidMaintenance can be preventiveOr correctiveCalibrating's often complicatedYou can spend all day on the fine-tuning.
Review the manual one more time. ThenWait by the window.It's known that true maintenance includesRepairand sometimes even overhaul."Maintain: 2. To cause something to exist or to continue without changing."
Look, stupid, you know that's not even possible.Yes. But hold my hand. [End Page 113]
Eleanore Lee has been writing fiction and poetry for many years in addition to her regular job as a legislative analyst for the University of California system. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in several journals, including Alabama Literary Review, Atlanta Review, CQ (California Quarterly), Crack the Spine, Meridian Anthology of Contemporary Poetry, Penmen Review, and The Portland Review. She was selected as an International Merit Award Winner in Atlanta Review's 2008 International Poetry Competition. She also won first place in the November 2009 California State Poetry Society contest.
