"safe" -- Charles Bukowski

[Toasty Tramp]

the house next door makes me
sad.
both man and wife rise early and
go to work.
they arrive home in early evening.
they have a young boy and a girl.
by 9 p.m. all the lights in the house
are out.
the next morning both man and
wife rise early again and go to
work.
they return in early evening.
By 9 p.m. all the lights are
out.

the house next door makes me
sad.
the people are nice people, I
like them.

but I feel them drowning.
and I can't save them.

they are surviving.
they are not
homeless.

but the price is
terrible.

sometimes during the day
I will look at the house
and the house will look at
me
and the house will
weep, yes, it does, I
feel it.
-----------

 

[Kim Chee]

The house next to yours is happy.
The people inside work, with purpose each day.
They would rather you not pay so much attention to
their goings on.

They still like you but they don't know you.

 

[Brother X]