A Round Town Full of Squares

The next-door neighbor, a former classmate,
Slams his front door in a huff and a puff,
Stepping out into the world without a care of who’s watching;
He stumbles from the front lawn into the street,
Wobbling before the shine and glow
Of a flickering, main-street stoplight.

Lured by the sway of porch-talk complacency,
Since it’s all too comfortable,
His equilibrium is as lost as he is now,
And he staggers under the light that is always yellow,
Until he sinks to his knees,
To throw up on his dreams --