Neighbours. Poem by Michael Walker

I have lived in a couple of stand-alone houses but more often in blocks of flats, giving me neighbours through the wall on both sides;
so I write from experience. Noise, stereos and loud talking can be issues in blocks of flats. Occasionally you might become like friends with your close neighbour, but more often not. That is why I write that more distant neighbours should not bother you.
The tanka is a challenging form, which asks you to count the syllables in each line, and to say as much as possible in as few words as possible. It is a disciplined Japanese form, like the haiku.