Ode to Charly

My friend Charly is a lovely guy with a family of his own

Yet for the sake of me & mine he worked his fingers to the bone

He came; he saw; he measured (twice) and reassured me it’d be ok

He chose the wood, cut it well, beveled and sanded all day

He brought it back, drilled and pounded, and even though it made him late

He stayed the extra hours it took to figure out how to install the gate

Bubba Mike helped with extra hands, priming and painting, too

Without them I don’t know what I’d do.

‘Cuz only now can toddlers safely play above here and below

But perilously up and down the stairs they cannot blithely go!