Neighbors

I thought you all were better than you were
I had that rosy tint thing going it turns out
Not the summer lit reality I once thought I saw
When I walked along the streets
and saw you mowing your grass
Or dutifully stringing the lights at Christmas
Or picnicking in the park with the grandkids
In the late spring or early autumn when it’s not too hot or cold
And they can splash around in the lake
and entertain themselves

It turns out you guys are bullies after all
The kind I thought I’d left behind in grade school
Exclusive, fond of power, salt and pepper thugs
if truth be told
Congratulating yourselves as you preserve the status quo.
I thought we’d grown some roots at last.
Found a place to settle in for the long winter.
Instead we found another piece of plain old Earth
In a place that sorta looked like heaven once.

© 2006 by Tom King