I give the man a house with solid walls and windows large
He feels mighty insecure and puts a high fence in charge
I give neighbors a shared wall so they won't feel lonely
Instead they harass the other with careless noise, and bully
I give the community a beautiful garden in the middle
"Where will I park my car now?" they complain and grumble
I give everyone enough water to drink, and bathe twice a day
"Why isn't there any to wash my darn car?" is what they say!
I give the woman handsome eucalyptus in her backyard
She fumes at the mess of the dry leaves they discard
I give the man the pretty vista of a hilly landscape
He frets about rain down the hill clogging his doorstep
From the hubbub of city I give folks respite and
quiet
Then a woman says, "this deathly silence makes me upset!"
I give the lady on the 3rd floor a caressing breeze
She grumbles the odors from gal below make her sneeze
The old man in the basement gets the cool that he needs
But he can't stand the damp that the earth above feeds
They got space in the middle to meet, make friends
Fighting and bitching is how their get-together ends!
Oh, I so pamper the urban man, give him comfort and joy
He is so implacable tho’, hard to please, easy to
annoy!
Abhay B. Joshi
June 2014