There was the whirring of the lawnmower

The shooooo of the leaf blower

The smell of honeysuckle

Next to me, a Golden retriever who loves to cuddle

On a pretty afternoon in May

I was out front to relax

But oh, for the papers in my lap

An undercurrent of threats if I don’t pay

Something about statutes

Eh, I skipped right over

Carried on to the sounds of my neighbor’s lawnmower

I rested the checkbook on the Adirondack chair arm

My other neighbor slammed his car door like an alarm

“How ya doin’?!” he asked

As I drudged along in my task

I waved back

I wondered to myself if he has to pay tax

On to that checkbook: “five hundred….”

Another neighbor pulled up

She got out of her car to pet my pup

I abandoned all the envelopes

She asked me if I’d heard about the pope

Yes, I had

She asked if I new about the other neighbor’s dog that died

I did

Why is everything so sad?

She said my pup reminded her of her old one who passed

Which is why she always stopped to give him a pat

We talked some more

Then I went back to my chore

Sitting in the Adirondack

Among the stack – of taxes

Property, real estate

A few months ago it was federal

Oh, and sales

Taxes are inevitable

But you know, to some extent, so is buying things

I try not to have a lot but I am grateful for what I’ve got

All the lawnmowers and leaf blowers

My friendly neighbors

The two cars in the driveway, this house I bought

Yeah, I guess the taxes can’t wait till later

I finish writing in the checkbook

Around the yard and the street I look

Forever I’ll be taxed

But I’m not giving my neighbors, my house, my car, my dog back

For all the crying and moaning about all the taxes

I sit back in my Adirondack

Teaaaarrr off the checks and seal the envelopes

Pay my taxes and sit back to relax

Some things are worth it

Taxes are no joke