🏃‍♀️ 🚶 🚶‍♀️  🚗

The lawyer neighbor daily inches
his car past its designated spot,
eating most of my front area,
my own parking space.

In my circling anger, i forget,
i come out to pick up the newspaper
without a face shield, not even a mask.

The other neighbors go on with
their daily tasks...cleaning cars,
sweeping frontyards, eyes and
ears are open...watching people.

None neighbors pass...walk, jog,
one after another, followed by cars,
all headed some place...like a trail
of crawling insects when rocks are
dislodged.....confident.....patient
in finding new hidden corners.

Upon some neighbors' treetops,
yellow warblers lament the ruining of
their nests...as the hacking of bamboo
trees continue, to clear the vacant lot.

I claim a few cut bamboo trees...fallen
on our yard...to prop growing vines.

The rolled newspaper defends me from
flies, bees, or mosquitoes, but none dare
touch me.....just a light shower and
a cool, caressing monsoon wind.



sally b

Rosalia Rosario A. Bayan
September 21, 2021