Spare Change For My Neighbor

By Fernando Garcia

 

My neighbor

A solitary old man

With a scar that runs across his face.

 

My neighbor

Spends his days in the haunted house

Made of cardboard

That is his home

 

My neighbor

Rides the metal poles on two wheel down the street

Whistling the dreadful tune that sends chills down my spine

 

My neighbor’s name was lost

In a war across the world

That had no winner

But soldiers and civilians came out as losers

 

My neighbor

Suffers from the cold

Even though he has leather jacket

That wraps him in a bundle.

 

My neighbor

Has a faithful companion

A rusty old mutt that can fall apart

Like a house of hay blown by the wind.

 

My neighbor

Has spoken to me once

In the voice of the devil,

“Be careful of the choices you make”.

 

My neighbor

Asks that I think of others before me

For he hasn’t seen his family in decades

 

My neighbor

Has his chin up high

And his dignity in the sky,

But his choices weren’t the best.

 

My neighbor

By the end of the day

When the sun fades away

Asks for some spare change.