The Friendly Workmen Poem by Raj Dronamraju

I have never met my neighbors and they are renovating their house
The workmen doing the renovation are sleeping in the house
Camping out with an electric kettle for morning coffee and motheaten mats to sleep on
In the morning, they greet me across my yard with smiles and accented hellos

I don't greet or acknowledge the friendly workmen
Lock my door, lock my gate
I don't trust the friendly workmen
Are they casing the homes in the area for robberies?

Take the laundry in faster, don't leave anything of value in the yard
When I do my job, it's head down with no smiles for anyone
No hellos for anyone and I will eat my lunch at my workstation
Spare our overly focused lives from the friendliness of strangers