The envelopes piling up on the credenza,
a daily ritual every afternoon
of dumping from the mailbox to the top of the desk.

Out of sight, out of mind, they say.
Having fun, feeling free with friends,
enjoying life to the fullest meant

barely a thought given to the duties of adulthood.
The distraction of coffee, a record playing or a good movie
always drawing her away to a better place than what was around her.

Not that it couldn’t be better.
She didn’t know how or want to acknowledge her inadequacies
staring her in the face each time she walked by the roll top.

She never excelled at math, couldn’t balance her checkbook and
never understood the value of money.
Always being reckless and not knowing she really should save.

Sadly, the day of personal reckoning finally came,
the sheriff’s insistent hammering at the front door.
“Ma’am, you’ve been served an eviction notice.”