Just tying up loose ends, he said, 
 Visiting relatives 
 We haven’t seen in thirty years;
 Changing the oil, washing windows, 
 Updating passwords,
 Trying to leave the place 
 Better than we found it.
 A hopeless task, really. 
 Even so, it feels better 
 To have 
 Drained the pipes, 
 Written the Christmas cards, 
 Stocked up on canned goods, 
 Programmed the remote,
 Before we have to abandon this car
 In an off ramp
 Trying to get home 
 Before dark.