WEBVTT

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So a couple more
poems from this book

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and then I'll get
into my new book.

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I had a Greek neighbor, I used
to live in a house, which my--

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which my-- Pat my
former wife lives

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in now, which was in a
city called Easton, PA.

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Well, everybody
raised their hand

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if I say, Easton, PA if you
know where it is, fantastic.

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It's the oldest brick house in
Easton and it's a double house.

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So that everything on one
side is a mirror vision

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of what's on the other side and
there was a Greek couple there,

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gentleman from Greece
who died last year.

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But I think he lived
there for 35 years

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and he knew about
four words of English.

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And he sold hot dogs in
the square I understand.

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If he would smile
at me and you sit

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there reading his Greek
newspapers, a small yard,

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he was on his side and I was
at my side reading the New York

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Times.

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A small American newspaper.

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And this poem is
called "Greek neighbor

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home from the
hospital" and I always

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wanted to read him the poem.

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In fact, I think I
did once and he smiled.

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[LAUGHTER]

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"Where he hung the bird
feeder a month ago,

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a film was covering
the thin glass.

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And where he threw
his wine glass down,

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a bleeding heart starting to
show under the motherly leaves.

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He has walked to the
wire fence three times

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to study my tomatoes and
he has smelled my roses

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in a downward movement in
which his good leg was one

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anchor and his cane another.

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I can tell by the
clicks of triumph

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and the loud rattle
of his newspaper,

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the Russians have sold
missiles to the Greek Cypriots

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and Turkey is going to suffer.

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As I recall, he put
the key to the padlock

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in the plot of new
lettuce and I can

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see his glasses under his
chair in case he panics.

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The wind makes both
of us smile a little

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and the swallows for just
a second seem to lounge.

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The sky is so blue,
they almost rest.

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He leaves his chair by twirling,
he hates their rectitude

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and since the dog is dead
and since his wife went

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to live with her daughter again,
he closes the door by himself.

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And either sits in the kitchen
and falls asleep over his cane

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or climbs his 18 stairs
before he turns the light on.

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I'll know which by the count
of 30, either one of which

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to my way of thinking is
better than the brutal battles

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they had.

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At least for my own
sleep over the honey

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locust before his
stroke a month ago

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in front of the glass feeder,
separating the different kinds

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of bird seed into their
small compartments,

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without giving too much
away to the poisonous

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squirrels for Greek."

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