Redeeming Qualities

We used to have
the greatest neighbours.
We talked through
kitchen windows,
and got together every
New Years Eve.
Then they bought a house,
and a new family
moved in.
I have since spent
three years
searching for
reasons to like them.
I've found few.

They have a dog
that barks, and
barks and barks.
They once went away
for the weekend,
and left him trapped
in the house.
They were wise enough
to leave the windows open,
so we could
listen to him
bark and howl
for two days straight.
I called the
SPCA,
looking for
a way to punish them,
not the dog.

They also have
a couple of kids,
and the parenting skills
of a 14 year old
Valley Girl.
The mom talks
in one of those
fake voices,
reminiscent of
Grandma Mimma
on helium.
We listen to the
countdowns
that lead nowhere,
the threats,
the begging,
the pleading,
while the kids scream
bloody murder
in search of
non-existent boundaries.

I refuse to give up.
So, I keep looking,
in hopes of finding
a few
redeeming qualities.

Sally