We will be neighbors,
we will not pick and choose,
we will be glad
at those that live near,
those that drop by

We’ll still be neighbors,
though some will leave
and others will move in,
though futures we imagined
involve a different cast

The distance teaches us
to value every face,
the land’s benevolence
becomes a part of us.

©Wendy Mulhern
October 12, 2018