looking for Marge

the strange

man

who's been circling the block

all afternoon

in long black car

is suspect,

although no crime

has been

committed.

some feel that he's either

done something,

or is about to.

Laura,

the self-appointed

mayor

of the street

has already called the cops.

i see her at the corner

with a long handled

hoe in her hands,

a guardian

at the door.

at last

he slows down

in front of my house

and rolls his window down.

he asks me

if i've seen Marge, his ex-wife.

a lanky blonde woman,

black dress,

red lipstick.

i shake my head

no.

i don't tell him that she's

in my house,

sound asleep on the living room

couch.

her car parked four blocks

away, out of sight.