Chipped nails match
Hair feathered black,
Skin like a doll’s, polished.
Girl on the sill,
Weathered,
Watching,
Rain clings to the pane.

The grass gnarled like hippie hair,
On the front lawn,
Patches blanched
By excessive sunlight
And dog urine.

The abode across the street,
Surrounded by a garden,
Sweet
Tangerine tulip embryos,
And cranberry begonias
Flower from the firm land.

They had too much free time,
Our neighbors,
At least I’d like to think that,
I’m sure they’re retired,
Otherwise,
They’d be freaks,
For having the time to
Tend that paradise on
Their front lawn.

They tend their challenged child,
And crimson corollas
That
Reach for the stars at night.
The mother, pacific and clement,
The father and husband, non-combative,
Their fingers prefer the
Feeling of loam
To that of the hard plastic of
Computer keys.