LEARN 2 BLINK 1 EYE AT A TIME...

The Man Next Door
by "OBSIDIAN!!!" [Excerpt from "Zen is Now" c. 1999]



He had a five o’clock shadow, like a
Hobo, crossing the street he’d go
With a jones to the nearby
Liquor store,
Looking to and fro, like a
Milkman, leaving your wife’s house
While you wiled the hours away
Shoveling your neighbor’s snow.
And you know he’ll be back for more.
Wanna bet?
See, it’s like pulling a drag until
You feel the heat of the fire in the
Butt of a cigarette.

Hanging out in smoke filled bars
Peeping through the lenses of
Shot glasses.
Eyes glittering like stars at
The passes of women’s asses.

‘Cause he’s the man next door,
The gigolo, the whore,
And when he hits your wife again
It’s gonna be like state’s secret;
Unknown, as she latches the
Chain lock to the front door,
In the a.m., at a quarter to four.

When it happens again, you’ll
Never know. Frankly, I think
It’s rude to interrupt somebody’s
Private Idaho.

You drive home in a
Downpour, hydroplaning in the rain.
You slip the key in the
Front door and once again
Pour yourself another gin and tonic
To erase the stain.
You plant another mechanical kiss
On your wife’s puckered lips and
Wonder why it tastes a little salty.
Nah!
But maybe…

You like to brag aloud at parties
About your family photos,
But don’t notice the missing
Link in the family tree.
-But you always wondered to yourself quietly,
“Why don’t that boy look
Like me?”

Yeah, ‘cause he’s the man
Next door, the gigolo, the whore,
And when he hits your wife
Again it’s gonna be like
State secrets; unknown,
While she latches the chain lock
To the front door, in the a.m.,
At a quarter to four.