the ancient yellow and green
John Deere riding mower
a 145 automatic
keeps slipping its belt
like a horse that refuses
the bit

the battery in this ancient
plastic and metal housing
keeps dying, reminding me
that someone had left
this damned thing behind
for a reason

in the middle of the yard
with the sun bright and heavy
beating down from 
93 million miles away

my hands under the deck
one eye on the belt
the other on the phone screen
trying to figure out
what to do

because the grass
isn’t waiting
for a man
lacking the knowledge
to fix things