on living with a larger, expansionist neighbour
by Steve Pottinger, with image above 'The War Abroad' by Alix Emery
you know he has always coveted
your garden, considered to be his
by right the olive trees, the earth,
that access to the sea, believes
your home an extension of his own,
tells himself that you are leading
him on, asking for trouble,
driving him crazy by smiling
too much, by not smiling enough,
by smiling at all, flaunting that
independence you’re so proud of,
dressed in that provocative
geography he can’t get out of
his mind, refusing his advances,
gardening your land without
so much as a by his leave
while he presses himself tight
up against your borders,
belly over the waistband of
his trousers, simmering to fury
planning for the morning you
will wake to find the front door
off its hinges, the olive trees
your grandparents planted
chopped and cut to kindling, his
tanks flattening your flowerbeds
and him blocking the way to your
kitchen, stripping the fridge bare,
not expecting you to fight.