When the house goes to sleep
the lady upstairs
that rents the two rooms and half-bath and stove
creeps down the groaning stairs
and unlatches the gate
and trips on the warped cement walkway
through the backyard

and round behind the house,
jiggles the door handle
(it's always been loose
from the uneven foundation)
past the sleeping dog
and pauses at my bed
but I see her steal
my jewelry instead