Prepper

I pull bricks
one at a time
from where they’ve been
embedded for years
in a decorative ring
in the soil around
the base of
my big oak

and then
carry and stack them
a few at a time
along the back fence

they once may have been
part of some foundation
once may have been solid
and crucial 
now 
they just dull my mower blade

it’s not that I need to mow
this scrub lawn often
it’s just that the way
my money’s going
I may never be able to afford
another mower

I don’t know why
I should save these old bricks except
they were here before me
and were built to last
so
I tell mysef
they might come in handy
eventually
when the world changes
and I’m back on my feet

but secretly
I know why I’m loathe
to toss them
today

tomorrow
a target
might present itself