Sunday, April 3, 2016

Thinking of the New Condo Beside Our Current Apartment

The third story window of the new four-story brick condo, high-ceilinged stories, is set badly. It’s about five feet above our back porch, about four feet from our porch, at a good angle for glaring down at us. A person standing in that window is standing from a taller spot than I might be, and this difference in height annoys me in a way I find surprising.

Do I feel that I am somehow superior to the non-existent resident of that building? Yes I do. Because? Something’s wrong with me, something wrong that I will not soon correct, what with the prohibitive cost of therapy and the amoebic mass of student debt that gains ground with interest even now as I type this, chewing jelly beans. Or maybe I don't feel superior, I just don’t want them to be able to watch me so easily.


What I know now is that I will need to find a way to block their view. Jasmine, which is always creeping into songs and poetry, would be good for this. I will smell it midsummer and realized that I have more or less, prejudices and finances aside, been victorious.