Being Seen

a quiet lonely dusk

in the extreme

is setting in

cloudless sky

moon rising late

leaving the universe exposed

in early night

 

there is some movement

in my neighbor's house

quite a distance over

hard to make out

exactly what it is

that's going down

 

front rooms

across the road are lit

in the customary way

with only dim inner light

 

falling dark threatens

as it does

after sunset

to swallow us up

 

i make the excuse

of wanting to know

everything's in order

everybody's safe

 

after all

these are

troubled times

country burglars

peeping toms

republican extremists

lurking about

 

i reach into the closet

take my binoculars out

begin the slow

and tedious task

of focusing while wearing

my glasses

trying to peer

at what's appears

to be moving

surreptitiously

over there

back and forth

behind the glass

 

and just as

the focal ring adjusts

and the lenses align

the parallel tubes reveal

the only thing going on

is my neighbor

in his window

with binoculars

held to his face

staring at me

 

you can imagine

my embarrassment

perturbation

 

this has happened

more than once

 

later a text

pops on my iphone

with a laughing

emoji and the words

-well at least

we were both seen tonight 

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