Safe

By Charles Bukowski

the house next door makes me sad.
both man and wife rise early and go to work.
they arrive home in early evening.
they have a young boy and a girl.
by 9 p.m. all the lights in the house are out.
the next morning both man and
wife rise early again and go to work.
they return in early evening.
By 9 p.m. all the lights are out.

the house next door makes me sad.
the people are nice people, I like them.

but I feel them drowning.
and I can't save them.

they are surviving.
they are not homeless.

but the price is terrible.

sometimes during the day
I will look at the house
and the house will look at me
and the house will
weep, yes, it does, 

I feel it.