Neighbor

S.O.L. #23 out of 31

More Than A Neighbor Next Door

I’ve told you before

‘bout  the neighbor

next door.

a grandpa’s age

but his own

are far away.

he gets out and about

walks each day

even takes my boy for a turn

on a warm summer morn’

watching his trains

whizzing round,

whistling long,

chugging out their steam

my boy learned to climb his tree

we don’t have one you see,

didn’t bother Gene

when a little bark gone

just covered it with  tar

like nothing was wrong

lets us taste

his homemade molasses cookies

then gives us

the recipe and ingredients

to make it on our own

knows its much more fun

grabs the “buttons” of  bellies

that the little children show him

giggle and run away

when he sees girl has a new little playhouse

out back

a pot for pretty purple plants and

a mailbox  so white

he writes her first letter

sneaks over, stuffs it in,  that night

mid summer

teaches us to cut grapefruit

so the kids lap it up

all gone.

In December,

delivers us

a case of fresh grapefruit

from Florida

keeps all the pictures

the children made

proudly

displayed

praises me

for being

such a good mom

reminds him

of his own

love seeing all the birds

that he so kindly feeds

all  winter long

and we will feed  “Gene’s Birds”

when he is gone

sledding down in winter

his smallish hill

slip-n-slides

in summer

Splish…

splash….

spill

sticky fingers and blue lips

tell me

they’ve seen

Gene

In  denial

and it won’t be same

I don’t want to know

that he has to

go