It’s a Long Way from ‘A’ to ‘B’. Patricia Barron

It was a pool pump handle that contained a central pin

Which, consequently, over time became more out than in

It was atop the filter pump “backwash” through “rinse” or “drain”,

And bringing water levels down when in torrential rain.

The handle cracked and would not turn stuck somewhere in between,

An awkward never never point that it had never been

The pump supplier sent two men to give their point of view,

We hoped the handle could be fixed, replacing old for new.

“The handles really knackered and the pumps near had its day,

you might as well replace the whole thing while were at it-eh?”

With heavy hearts and little choice we said, “yes, go ahead”’

We’d gone from one cracked handle to a whole new pump instead.

You’d think that bit might end there but you would be quite wrong,

Because some further repercussions overtook us ere too long

In order to replace the pump we’d had to disconnect

The close-linked solar system needing then to reconnect.

An hour after finishing it smelt like something fried,

A crackling and then a silence as both systems had just died

A quick call to the solar man revealed (as if old hat),

We’ve heard that replacing pumps can quite often result in that!”

They sent an electrician we assumed he had some nous,

One hour after finishing the fuse blew half the house

He paid us countless visits replaced, renewed, and then,

“it’s fixed” he cried triumphantly and he blew again.

The solar heating’s working now the pump is running well

The pool is back to normal but for how long who can tell

We’d spent a mint of money, but it rather seems to me,

We’d gone around in circles all the way from ‘A’ to ‘B’.

© Patricia Barron