State of the Union by Gloria Heffernan

State of the Union

A year ago, he was just my neighbor,
the guy down the street wearing a Yankees cap
that he would tip in greeting as he walked by.

That was before the dueling yard signs.
Before we were winners and losers.
Before we were us and them.

Now the votes have all been counted.
His red cap says we are on different teams.
And yet we must be more than bumper stickers and slogans.

So today we cast another vote.
Today we vote for peace. Today we do what we can
to make our neighborhood great again.

We vote to pause in the street,
and notice the red leaves on the maple tree,
and the blue sky overhead.

We ask about each other’s family.
We bend down to pet each other’s dogs.
We scratch their ears and call them by name.

Today we loosen our grip on the leash.
We watch the dogs greet each other
like old friends. Like we once did.

Today we fall into the old ways.
We meet each other’s eyes.
We call each other by name.

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Gloria Heffernan’s forthcoming book Fused will be published by Shanti Arts Books in Spring, 2025. Her craft book, Exploring Poetry of Presence (Back Porch Productions) won the 2021 CNY Book Award for Nonfiction. Gloria is the author of the collections Peregrinatio: Poems for Antarctica (Kelsay Books), and What the Gratitude List Said to the Bucket List, (New York Quarterly Books). Her work has appeared in over 100 publications including Poetry of Presence (vol. 2). To learn more, visit: www.gloriaheffernan.wordpress.com.