Walking, walking
out on concrete
blisters forming
on my feet.
Yesterday's sun still soaks the ground
though it has yet to rise
above the hills for
one more round.
Nameless neighbors say 'good morning',
familiar faces, with dogs
who cannot pause
for a friendly pat. We,
all of us,
are content to hurry on
with our anonymous
lives.
And this thought rises, unbidden,
a recognition: this,
this is the cost of city living.
Houses almost rub shoulders;
we glimpse each other
washing dishes through
kitchen windows. So,
to counter intrusion, we
wrap ourselves in a layer of privacy and
dwell side by side
inside our fences, without
ever really knowing
one another.
But wait...
I lift my head and am greeted
by name.
I return the greeting...
by name.
A neighbor takes the time
to stop and share
his pending grandparent status, and
together we delight in
his good news.
And now,
the sun is rising.
