here is where i explain the ground from which my poems sprout.
Argyle Estates. Or plain, ol’ Argyle if you’re from here. And I am from here, have been since I could barely toddle.
And since that time I’ve watched neighbors come and go, or go and come, or just simply stay. I’ve met nearly each neighbor and been in almost every house (50+). Perks of being the “Meter Man,” I suppose. Well, that, and being the grass guy, and house and dog sitter, and dog rescuer, and rescuer of dogs from the mean dogs. (Yes, Scooter is safe.)
But back to the people. It’s no utopia (by any stretch of the imagination). Rivalries and late paid bills and complaints are all too common. Many neighbors would rather keep to themselves then get in a cordial conversation with the folks out their windows. But there are some happy cul-de-sacs where neighbor looks out for neighbor and leftovers are shared along with conversation.
Argyle does have one annual institution. Every year the business meeting takes place. Some people dread them. Some people love them. Some people spend the other 364 days preparing for them (yes, I saw the size of your briefcase, Papa).
I went this year to the meeting. I’m one of the few who enjoy them. But that’s mainly because I can sit in the corner and watch (since I’m not a homeowner). And there was plenty to watch. The group that showed up was as orderly as a hardware store after an earthquake. Every side that could be taken was in that room. Every opinion on any issue was represented.
But one root ran through the very hearts of each motley member. Home.
Each voter or board member had one thing in common and that was the good of this little corner of the earth. The corner they knew best. And I sat and watched the discovered commonality. It wasn’t the pot holes or fence restrictions that brought them together, it was the fox. The one who had visited them all. It was the deer who tramped out a routine from one yard to the next. It was the tree, whose performance we all had watched for seasons upon seasons. The living, growing things of this earth brought them together.
I went home that night happy for the chance to watch the power of belonging.