My Best Neighbors Poem by RIC BASTASA

my best neighbors
are those that do not mind me
though
there are times when our paths
cross
and so we say hello
just that
and then we go back to our
own preoccupations
our poetry our short stories
our dogs
and chickens and our higher
fences this time
our roofs do not meet
our garage gates do not face each other
our plants are different
we never want to have the same lawns
our fruit trees do not bear fruits at the same
that would be an insult
(how crazy have we become?)
their cars do not make any honks
we keep this silent agreement
this noiseless world we live in
this mind your own business thing
when it rains so hard
we do not open our windows and look outside
(are we afraid to see our sad faces?)
we are what we are
we do not even know each others' names
how cruel
and yet how peaceful.