Law of Averages (Poem)

Law of Averages

If we could write our own vows, we would
forsake those 7 deadly sins, reimagine how

we'd cope with 1.862 children under 18
in a house with just 2,690 square feet

and 2.37 bathrooms. We'd have to add
1.6 dogs and 2.1 cats but forgo the garage

for the 1.9 vehicles we'd have for the 1.8
drivers in our household. Fair enough!

Would one of us earning $107,054 mean
the other could retire early after saving

8 times his salary? Because, the truth is,
nobody wants to be actuarially reduced,

especially if the one with the most toys
fails to win the MegaMillions Powerball.

Like everyone else in America, we'd need
a lot more to be more than comfortable,

never knowing when we'd likely be hit
by the proverbial bus tomorrow. Such is

the law of national averages that sticking
it out for 8.2 years would not be nearly long

enough for either of us to grow old together.

2015 © Maureen E. Doallas
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I wrote this poem in response to TweetSpeak Poetry's new prompt for November: Math, Science & Technology. See this week's prompt to write a physics-related love poem.