Lavinia Nink lives serenely
in a house unmistakably rare,
for the water turns on in the shower
when Lavinia sits in a chair,
when she opens the door to the freezer,
the clock strikes a quarter to ten,
and as soon as she starts up the oven,
the telephone rings in the den.

When Lavinia plays the piano,
the toaster repeatedly pops,
and the TV keeps changing the channel
whenever Lavinia mops,
all the lights in the living room flicker
when she washes her hands in the sink,
it's a house to drive anyone nutty,
but it's home to Lavinia Nink.