“Neighbor” by Darrell Petska

on his roof checking shingles for fleas
scouring the ground for alien invaders
Hey Don! I say, but he’s
polishing tools till his face smiles back
digging more holes to China
paring trees to a nub so vampires can’t roost

he shovels during snowstorms, ready just in case…
spit-shines his driveway (he parks in the street)
combs his lawn, pomades it, too
builds high his fences to discourage giraffes
rotates landscape stones lest moss catch hold

Hey Don! I say, but he’s
dusting lily pollen from offended geraniums
skimming water bugs from his reflecting pool
re-stringing his wind chime each time the wind turns—
fine-tuning his world till his ears can’t hear

Darrell Petska is a poet and retired university editor from Madison, Wisconsin. View his work in Buddhist Poetry Review, Nixes Mate Review, Right Hand Pointing, Boston Literary Magazine, Verse-Virtual, Loch Raven Review and elsewhere. (conservancies.wordpress.com)

Photo by Jr Korpa on Unsplash