It was a sunny day
and the neighborhood felt safe
except the neighborhood watch
came out with a warning
somebody did not belong!
As I was reading the
Boston strangler book
about the terrible murders
and mayhem upfront
it did something else.
In a neighborhood safe
for more than 21 years
of quietly not derring-do
I realized that now reality
truly sets in somehow.
In comparison with others
an occasional beat-up wife
a drunken man - two teenagers
who LSD tripped -fell
and are both wheelchair bound.
Otherwise I have unwisely
perhaps but steadily
left car-doors open - albeit
the cars had nothing in them
and stick-shift safety.
No more open cars windows
no more unlocked doors
in summers - at night
when walking the dog
now I feel reality too close!!
