The Girl in 14 Waterson

A poem inspired by the song The Girl in 14G

🧳

Just moved into 14 Waterson
Juliet balconies, four rooms within
Can unpack the suitcase for a while
Plenty of restaurants within a mile
Some time at last to pull up a chair
A chance to unwind while the holidays are here
Quiet and focus for the next new piece
It’s been too long since the latest release
Lost in thoughts but found my groove
Yet something outside is on the move -

🚚
A resounding crash
Metal tools clash
Drilling starts
Never parts
Insistent humming
Trucks incoming
Tooting ensues
Right on cue

🌐
But nothing’s too wrong
Headphones in, play a song
Made it to the second verse -
(Ok it gets a little worse)
Voices start stuttering
As the song begins buffering
Wifi taunts "catch me if you can"
Simultaneous groans from each in the clan
Count down from ten
Fully cut out again
Keep calm, there’s no harm
Find your zen, say amen

🥵
Heat wave hits
Consider calling it quits
But today begs achievement
A hearty sentence, new content
Feeling on track
Hear some sounds out the back
Bacon sizzling in a pan?
Garden watering by a man?
Can’t smell anything
Suddenly realising
There aren’t that many plants
Better take a glance

🌧️
Heads pop out in quick succession
Without one bit of expectation
Nothing out of the ordinary -
A cascading waterfall from the next story
At least I’m not the girl next door
Soaked with water to her core
Or the couple one floor up who just
Finished renovating now dreams are crushed

🚽
Thought it was funny, til we couldn’t flush the dunny
Then came the shout “The water is out”
Caught in a vicious cycle of sweat-logged and sundried
I couldn’t keep calm as much as I tried
Forgive me if I’m sour
What’s next, the freakin’ power? -
Well, close.

🚔
Police on the scene with news we must convene
There’s a gas leak
Please don’t freak
Make your way outside don’t peek
Forget writing your prose, and rightly suppose
This day is a write-off with blow after blow

😒
Word on the street says this was caused by
A third-floor, grumpy old, nonsensical guy
A wannabe tradie, a butcher-it-all bumbler
Who insisted he’d fix it instead of a plumber
Known to scold social folk on sunny evenings
Shouting over the balcony to those not conceeding
Preferring the company of budgies it seems
Being at odds with his neighbours, a reoccurring theme

🎤
Now girl in 14 Waterson
When it comes to speaking I’m reticent
But on this occasion, I’d politely express
A few words on the matter for you to ingest:

📃
Dear man on floor three,
You may not know me
But I live in this complex and have but one plea -
No that was pathetic - what I meant to say was
Listen here nitwit (was that too much?) because
Your DIY antics have indeed crossed the line
You thought meddling with mains and live wires was fine
Those actions cost dearly in dollars and time
The biggest issue here though
Is not with the dough
It’s respect for your neighbours
You’re making us haters
Quit scolding, stop giving
Undue warnings (you’re no dictator)
Let us laugh, leave us be
By gee it was only six-thirty
When we knock, don’t just block
Answer the door and come to listen
There is something missin’
Read my lips and hear this lesson:
Two ears and one mouth
No need to shout
Watch your manner
Don’t pick up a spanner
Yours
Regards
Best
Peace out ✌️

🎵
In the words of Girl in 14G
(Quite aptly they apply to me)
I've had my fill of peace and quiet
Shout out loud, "I've changed my diet!"
To take up arms and raise my voice
A strangely different writing choice
Although it’s ended in a rage
I think I’ve filled at least a page