A thin brown stain 
down the white brick wall 
I guess yes 
the new roof leaks 
and there are holes 
drilled in the asphalt 
out there where manhole 
covers used to blow: 
escapes for leaks. Sleet 
down the chimney: 
a rustle broken 
into dots and dashes. Then 
a midwinter downpour. 
The streets are rivers 
or the water streets 
in a small-town dream