Oh What Now

There was an article in the newspaper
About a particularly beloved,
And remarkably elderly writer,

And the focus of the article seemed to be
On all the history and hardships that writer
Had survived and even thrived despite,

But what caught your eye was a tidbit
About recent trouble with a leaky ceiling
Thanks to the rotten pipes of a neighbor,

Which made you think, even then, after
All that living through history, mundane
Nuisances still manage to be difficult

And persistent, and you’ll never outlive
The world’s capacity to make trouble.