To dam the river’s flow
he sat in empty rooms
without books, TV, or radio
staring at silent walls.

Drove two lane
country roads
searching for
slow moving trucks
to get stuck behind.

Went to the bank
and the grocery store
at the busiest times
to spend hours
waiting in line.

Passed the time
with people he itched
to get away from,
and married a woman
he despised.

One day he peeked
behind the dam
to find that his reservoir
had evaporated
and a parched landscape
of cracked earth remained.

He knelt and grasped
a clump of dried mud,
held it up,
staring openmouthed
as it crumbled
in his hand.