by Lisa Lopez Smith

The day of our 16^th wedding anniversary
the cows barrel through
an irrigation duct, which is also the day
the truck bumper takes out a spout—
Luis and I get out
the tools; I’m no plumber
or landscaper but while
he uses the snips,
measures out the replacement
tube, I schlep tools and measuring tapes,
helpfully chattering dreams, gossip, plans
and slightly more helpfully,
hold the extension cord and Tubo-
Plus thermal-fusion machine
that melds together
the thick green plastic—
heating the tubes
until they soften and we
mash together separate pieces
until they become one:
inseparable, functional, dare
I say rather pretty—forest
green outside, white inside,
T-connectors, elbows, couplings,
taps, joints, valves, both
flexible and durable,
and how we work together,
a dance, this moment,
moving life-giving water
around the property,
hearts, bodies, souls.

Photo by Ulrich Sprenger on Unsplash