Still Life with the Neighbor

THE NEIGHBOR OCCURRED from the south. The neighbor occurred from Hollywood. The neighbor managed plantations. The neighbor produced game shows. The neighbor is credited with the phrase “lemons to lemonade.” The neighbor has never thrown the baby out with the bathwater. The neighbor shingled the roof himself. The neighbor carved the fountain him- self. The neighbor used to have a wife. The neighbor’s wife: disappeared/ deceased. The neighbor’s wife jumped from the roof. The neighbor’s wife simply fell. She lived three weeks, in a hospital, not in this town. The officers declared it an accident. The officers declared it a non-accident. The neighbor has no children because his wife is ex- or dead. The neighbor lets kids cut through his yard. The neighbor plants candy in their hands on Halloween. The neighbor once chased a child from his porch. The neighbor doesn’t act right around children. The neighbor doesn’t act right around adults. The neighbor doesn’t add up. The neighbor can be observed from the house next door. The yard next door is empty: there has never been a house. The neighbor stands at his window, facing your physical, concentric world. Patient, he awaits your conclusion. Sour, the lemon withers.