And there in my backyard,
Around the pool and within the gate,
Is being installed a fence.
Nothing more, just a fence,
Not a symbol of love or declaration of hate,
Just a safety precaution,
A barrier for little tykes
To keep them safe as they stumble along on pudgy legs
Just gaining their footing on the dew-dropped grass of summer.
Yet if fences are designed to be barriers,
Why must they be nestled between neighbors' houses?
Is it a blinking-red-light warning?
A do-not-touch hands off?
A classic signal for little old men to come
Tromping down the porch steps lined with hanging flower baskets
With cries of “Get off my lawn!”
Alas, who am I to restrain the freedom of others?
Grass is just grass,
And why can't we be like the little tykes,
Who preach that “Sharing is caring”?
Why can't we share what is not rightfully ours?
Yes, fences can be of much use
For protecting those innocent children
Who haven't yet heard of property holdings and
Unnecessary constraints.
I say down with the fences!
The ones which separate neighbors and grass
And decorate your houses
With warm blankets
And the smell of blueberry pancakes
And open doors
And welcoming smiles,
So that they can be homes
Instead.