neighbors

art by Tori Ochave, words by Evelyn Pak

Morning rays cast light onto 

The sea of blurred faces.

Shadows bounce across rooms,

Four inches and generations apart.

All watch the sun beckon another day.

Door frames that creak at every greeting & farewell,

Boxes and memories that gather dust in closets,

Walls that always eavesdrop on tearful conversations.  

Growing pains shared between strangers 

Likely to never meet.

Laughter vibrates the thin barrier of glass, 

From a lover or maybe a screen. 

Scalding pans and torn-open plastic bags produce

Aromas eagerly welcomed by 

Guests and residents alike. 

As night envelopes the street,

Hands reach out to close the blinds, 

Some decorated in rings, others in faded scars.

Weary eyes begin to slowly sink,

All waiting for tomorrow to arrive.

20,000 PSI and unsaid words,

Lingering regrets hidden underneath scattered shards.

Bloodied knuckles and outstretched fingers

With just enough force, just enough feelings,

A knock becomes a single crack.