SPARK

Response piece by Michael Baca
Inspiration piece by Elizabeth Akin Stelling

Tonight, he just wasn’t feeling it
taking those slow walks around the block
risk of unwelcome injury in the dark
weapons charging- everything turning bad

the entire scene was more than unsettling
awkward outdoor dinner feasts
grunting hellos to every passing dead beat
mundane expressions, night after night

even strangers were let into their horde
by couples who lived and worked
in the same neighborhood for years
; they all

bought the same cars
put kids through the same schools
wore fancy designer clothes

this evening would be different
just turn and head away from town, to a bar
where all kinds of people come in and out
anxiously wait in the shadows

he is a peeping Tom, just like it was yesterday.