Issue 4: Minute — available to order in print. Order now →

Navy Pen
← Voltage · Issue 002

poetry

Roof Leaks

By Elmo Shade

The business card read, "Roof Leaks. Call Sam. Repairing
Roofs since 1989", stuck on the backside of my front porch
mailbox. How he knew my back patio shingled roof leaked
like bile ducts into a gallbladder, I never knew. I called him.

Sam arrived dressed in overalls and a red flannel shirt, his
worn cap tilted slightly sideways. Like his card, he seemed
a simple man, asking permission to access the roof from
the upstairs game room due to the steep loft. I hesitated.

A few days before Sam's arrival, brand new Berber carpet
had been laid preparing the loft space for a vacation rental.
What could go wrong? He's done this a gillion times. So,
I consented and waited downstairs while he worked.

"I'm almost done" he said "just need a bit more tar" as
he walked down the stairway and out the front door.

I quickly hurried upstairs to inspect his work. I gasped!
Just under the bay window were three black tar stains.

His apologies came quickly when seeing his careless steps.
He said he would only be a minute to finish the repairs &
at the same time, taking his shoes off, holding them as he
crawled back out on the shingled roof. Moments later,

I followed Sam to his truck, hearing his repeated apologies.
"I'm never this careless, Sir", in a humbled voice that echoed
past regret. "Wait until it rains and if your roof does not leak,
you can pay me then…or not." It rained. There was no leak.

Opening my mailbox to deposit his check, I was surprised to
see a letter addressed to me from Sam. And at the top was
a picture of a fine carpet, enough to cover his stains, and at
the bottom was a handwritten message from Sam. It read:

Dear Sir: Please use my fee to purchase this nice piece of
carpet to cover my sins. I am so sorry for my carelessness.
Please forgive me. Thank you for not yelling at me. -Sam

What price does a grown man pay at the cost of another man's
anger? How many times has he left a home feeling shamed
and humiliated. I said, "It's only carpet, Sam." His business card
reads "Roof Leaks. Call Sam. Repairing Men since 1989."

About the Author

Elmo Shade is a poet and author of The Dark Side of White Bread- Surviving Our Fathers: A Poetry Chapbook; Atmosphere Press; 2023, as well as three (3) additional poetry collections. He is the founder of the first Poetry Open Mic in Camas, WA, as well as Youth Uptown Poetry in Vancouver, WA. He currently serves as the Poetry Moves Director for Artstra, a local nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts advocacy group in Vancouver, as well as a volunteer for Meals On Wheels. His work has been published in The SubjectivJournal, Pointed Circle, Nine Cloud Journal, Western Washington Poets Network Anthology, Artstra Poetry Moves, Navy Pen Literary Magazine, and elsewhere. He is an avid fan of Italian Chianti, Opus-X Cigars, & RUSH.