Poem by

EMILY BENTON

DEAR NEIGHBOR

forgive my leaden feet

that treaded without concern

for your diurnal habits

forgive the herd of them

that danced and fumbled

to tunes well past their prime

we just wanted a night

well I want every night

to mask whoever’s weeping

records in our air ducts

this is the price of a rented life

next to your rented life

do you remember that time

a stranger kicked in our front door

afterhours I didn’t hear it

until the police showed up

but you stood there in underwear

under the bare stairwell bulb

like an impassioned apostle

I think of you now

I hold the keys

to a basement apartment

nights I cannot sleep

your favorite mantra repeats

under my breath

how unacceptable

how is this acceptable