A POEM by ALFRED STIFSIM

Construction Haiku

Buck hoist radio,

Operator’s voice crackles,

“Take the stairs fucker!”

through metal stud walls

the sun glows gold then darkens

covered by sheetrock

It’s always so that

ditches are dug in the cold

or sweltering heat

A December night

Standing over a manhole

Freezing my ass off

Drywall graffiti

Vaccines suck <—Dumb ass <—Trump won!

Time to paint the wall.

God, please make it stop.

Crazy Train every damn day.

Oh, the agony

An itch that is scratched

with drywall dust hands will leave

handprints on your ass.

Don’t learn the hard way,

Climbing ladders all day chafes.

Use cream on your taint.

Check with your wiggies

—He was hit by 480—

Fell and split his head

On break, legs propped high

The hum of the air handler

It puts you to sleep

---

Alfred Stifsim is a writer of fiction and the occasional poem. A graduate of History from IUPUI (Indianapolis, 2014), he is an electrician with IBEW Local Union 481. His debut novel is “Wild Salvation” (Feb. 2022). You can find him on Twitter: @AStifsim.