Neighborly Distances

From a neighborly distance, the drama of a life's finality unfolded A man named Mient. Once a well-known construction-scientist When we became neighbors at Christmas he was a double amputee Both legs taken by diabetes, then a man of his own ethnicity Challenged him to a fight (Take it outside this diningroom," the chef said) Both men were aging, wise in the prime, but wisdom had left already: Venter wanted a piece of Mient, too. Though wheelchair - bound Mient did his last manly act of courage, with powerful arms, he won He had the manliness to beat the bully from a wheelchair But Venter - a retired policeman - ran to the Station, to lay a charge ... Amused yet grieving for these men, as the bully claimed favor of God Blind to the recent mismatch (as during his career?) of bullying a dying man Last week, in this new year, love-month of February, Mient lost a final fight II Phone calls were made by mom around the world to "the kids," Jeanetta, not young or healthy herself, began the final arrangements The rituals of funerals come home as the deceased one's children will Briefly for a goodbye, to a father who provided well, & education, O how politics and economics, the Beast and the anti-Christ, conspire ... To make exiles and beggars of once proud patriots "Home" for funerals only, then back to jobs & careers, big companies Need their expertise, a global economy they call it. Many skills, gadgets ... And ultimately, we lost the art of being neighbors, or family The fences of old have become walls, some with barbed fencing atop Once closer than family, now neighbor competes against neighbor From my neighborly distance, Jeanetta says, "Mient is gone. Come home."