Robert M

Robert M. Simmons

from Added Entries (Poems 1991- )

Private Lives in Public Places

Those among us

of more humble means,

myself included,

live their lives

in small homes

crowded together on tiny lots

with minimal privacy

and an ambiance

controlled by the whim of any jackass

with a do-rag on his head

who decides to clean his driveway

with a leaf blower

sounding like a 747

taking off from Logan Airport,

or to switch on a stereo system

more than adequate

to fill the needs of Fenway Park,

or to tear up the street

on a Harley Davidson

loud enough to be heard

in Plymouth and Bristol counties

simultaneously.

Along with suffering

such inconveniences

much of what these people do

in their private lives

becomes an inadvertent performance

on a public stage.

Something as ordinary

as washing the family SUV

or taking out the garbage

can illicit

commentary, critiques and even ridicule

from any neighbor

who might be driving past

on his way to the convenience store

for another fix

of cigarettes and lottery tickets,

and the object of this rhetoric

uttered from the pits

is expected to be good-natured about it.

How good-natured

would the denizens of the grand estates

we see in Newport or the Hamptons be

if every time they crossed their thresholds

for a stroll outdoors,

hands in pockets, deep in thought,

they were accosted by some simple-minded neighbor

and coerced into a conversation

about the Academy Awards

or perhaps the Red Sox Nation?

Try trimming the edges

when someone's Dodge Ram four-by-four

is parked on your sidewalk.

A backyard barbecue

or a dip in the above ground pool

is usually observed

by neighbors pruning their shrubs

or power-washing their vinyl siding.

An emotional farewell

to visiting family

performed at curbside

will provide riveting drama

for a neighbor mowing his lawn

in a dirty sweat suit

or walking his basset hound

wearing a Patriots jacket.

When you settle in

for a relaxing summer evening on the deck

your tiki torches will be visible

up and down the street

and the neighbors will be able to smell

your citronella candles.

They will see the colored flicker

of your TV set

and know if it is large or small.

On summer evenings

with the windows open

they will even be able to hear it.

They will know what time you leave for work

and what time you return home.

On those rare occasions when tempers fly,

a domestic disagreement

or a row with the kids,

you must learn to lower the voice

or your family business

will be the talk of the town,

and those hapless enough

to cross over the boundaries of law

are likely to have their transgressions

witnessed by dozens

and recorded on videotape

ready for the media.

We wonder what goes on

in those large gated estates

we sometimes pass on Sunday drives

revealing hints of breathtaking architecture

reminiscent of Devonshire or Normandy,

partially concealed by exquisite landscaping,

buffered by ample acreage,

surrounded by walls and fences,

all resembling a Constable watercolor

hanging in the Museum of Fine Arts

with a Chopin Nocturne

playing gently in the background.

We wonder

but we can only speculate

regarding private lives lived in private,

and in all likelihood

whatever these individuals do

will never become the concern

of the local constabulary

to be splashed in graphic detail

on the evening news,

yet once in a while

despite the beauty and the taste,

despite the layers of protection,

something dark will surface

and we discover

who these people really are.

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Subjects: poems about, privacy, community life, ordinary people, lifestyles of the wealthy, poetry, poems

Private Lives in Public Places