Far Poem by Raj Dronamraju

Not that far from here
Judy suffers in her apartment
Clinging to a lifeline being slowly pulled back from the opposite side

And here
I am rendered mute in a faded green rented home
Our nearest neighbors are a man who lost both hands in World War II
Living with his adult daughter, the kind of fleshy nightmare who'd marry a famous murderer doing life in prison

Not that far from here
Judy views eating out as an extravagance
Views dating as an uncomfortable duty
And hopes they'll finish quickly and leave

And here
I play my stereo too loud and wish I was an orphan
Dreaming of the day I can limit my own imagination to a one bedroom apartment

To a shadow of a life
Measured in relative terms of distance
The chance of this being upended is less
The chance of being excited even lesser