Sadie

Our next-door neighbour is 84
She never wanted more
Than a piece of quiet
A place to be
With dog on leash
She greeted me
Whenever she saw me
Her overtold stories bored me
But I listened…

Told me once about her
Greedy niece
The one who wanted to set her free
In an old age home
To be with others like Sadie
She told me that…
She objected strongly
Her overtold stories bored me
But I listened…

Sadie had a big ol’ grand piano
In her dining room
That landmine room
She couldn’t play no more
Said it was her god’s law
Her legs turned inside out
As she knocked on heaven’s door
But her mouth kept rattling on
Word after word was born and soon
On those mild, weekday afternoons
I got bored with her overtold stories
But I listened…

Sadie never wanted to inconvenience me
Don’t kill yourself over me
I’ll get by, I always do
Can you come and tune my tv?
Nevermind the rest
As long as you can get it on Dr. Phil
He’s the best
Her tv was always on number 8
The loudest on the volume control
At 5.30 in the morning
It was hell
But we listened…

Sadie had a daughter
Who wasn’t there at all
Sadie stopped the visits to the mental institution
Where she lived on pills
The state paid the bill
But still
Sadie would talk about her daughter
In that mental institution
Hope she’s okay, she worried
There’s nothing I can do no more
She said
Her overtold stories really, really bored me
But I listened…

She loved her gin
And ciggies and dog
It kept her alive and well
Like Elvis
‘Rent it?’, she asked
Surprising me
Said her niece wanted to sell the property
And Sadie’s gotta move
But not this girl – not now
Not ever
Asked me if I could change her locks
But move? Never!
Her overtold stories bored me
But I listened…

So, how does Sadie’s story end?
Guess she’ll never live to tell
84
And Jewish
But poor
So close to heaven above her
Yet living her life on earth in her own kinda hell…