Every Evening He Drinks Alone

Remember: one man's ceiling
is another man's floor
- Paul Simon


Every evening he drinks alone.
And every evening all the minor irritations
are transformed into major problems.
The soft voice above.  The phone ringing below.
And through an adjoining wall the low
nearly negligible noise of a neighbour’s TV
seemingly deafening him. Defining him
as a man troubled.

A troubled man dreaming
of a soundproofed room
where he could wail if he chose to
or play dance music
where the bass dominates
and would reverberate
through the ceilings and floors
and walls right up to the bedrooms
of the other occupants
in the block
if he were not in a soundproofed room.

But after another drink
he puts his music on anyway
and waits for a hammer
or the heel of a stiletto
to come through his ceiling
which he will ignore
and likewise their calling
when they come knock knock knocking
on his door.


One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor