30TH STREET: LAURA MADELINE WISEMAN Next Poem:....................................................................................................................................... Back to Poetry Index

You watch the neighbors and speculate.

But ultimately, you are not the fittest.

You walk the dog and water the plants.

You do a little housework, but always

with an eye toward the windows.

Constantly repairing! You’d think

the houses were built wrong.

You fall into their hypocrisy

by planting gardens and trees,

painting the bedrooms in honeymilk

as the mocking birds radio songs.

Laura Madeline Wiseman is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Arizona. Her works have appeared in 13th Moon, The South Loop Review, Georgetown Review, and other publications. She is also an editor for Empowerment4Women.

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