Our neighbor moved out today
not because of our barking dogs
nor the blower we use to clear the leaves
Of course, the way we set off fireworks
just as the lights go out each night
could have driven them away, I guess.
But not the way the Nez Pierce and Mormons
were driven out of their settled homes,
Despised and misunderstood.
It might have been our five cars
spilling out onto the street from the driveway,
or perhaps our kids playing with guns,
the BB type, shooting pennies the way
Booth shot our president that night at Ford’s.
Everyone moving out in horror–
Not the way these neighbors moved
this morning, maybe hoping for refuge from us,
him needing solace, her hospice.
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