Talk about
tough to get dates,
with all the neighbors
shaking their heads
at mad dad
hammering away
on the gopher wood
night and day.

When things got serious
we had to tell them
about the big trip
to who knew where
for who knew how long.

And then it was talking
their mamas
and shotgun-wielding daddys
into letting go.

Our wives never did get over
seeing the chimneys of their houses
disappear under the water.

Even dad,
smart as he was,
couldn’t make them understand.