Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007 - 8:36 p.m.
Jinky Violates the Privacy Hedge
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My neibour doesn't like cats
or animals
or kids
or strangers
or small talk
or anthing except his truck
which he polishes on fine days
he has a life long job in a auto assembly plant
and he is a creature of fixed habit
stopwatch quality habit
formed from decades on the assembly line
where different is bad
and unscheduled anything
is cause for a grievance
He has worked at his job for many years
his wife tells me
he will retire next year
his wife tells me
and she doesn't know what he will do
she tells me
with the fixed routine part of his life absent
she does all his talking for him'
like all of it on his behalf
he just grunts when he takes out the garbage
if someone hails him
but even thats a rare thing
for him to acknowledge anyone elses existance
and is silent
when he punctually drives off to work
for his shift and drives back on schedule
every day forever
today after gis shift i see him in his front yard
doing routine maintaince on his cedar hedge
other people have flower gardens
his pride and joy is geometrically clipped
cedar privacy hedge
his wall against the outside world
one straight line of
calculated evergreen obstruction
like he is never ever on his own front yard
for any other reason
unless its to maintain his privacy hedge
trimming...
watering..
observing the straightness
no other reason whatsoever to be in his own yard
But tonight I could spy on him
a little at least
I could see and hear him
from where i was sitting
and he couldn't hear or see me
- and best of all
he didn't expect to see or hear me
I could hear Jinklys little bell tingling
on the other side of the hedge
and I could hear my gruff old silent neibour whispering
"here kitty kitty-
here nice little kitty
come over and say hello to me
and aren't you a fine little cat !
yes indeed.
and what do you say tonight
will you do your little dance again?"
your little dance?
what little dance??
Jinky has been trespassing next door
and dancing for Mr Neversayhello
How long has this been going on?
better question is:
how long will it continue going on?
