HOUSING COMPLEX
I
morning rises slowly like a mist climbing and spreading through the air
a child crosses squares of green grass
running jumping running
carrying
a shopping bag in its hand
II
the apartment buildings
present flat rectangular surfaces
the windows are equipped with gray steel shutters that close or open like lids
each room a box
the garden of smooth green grass like a new carpet
is framed by regular rows of identical trees that cast an oblong shadow like a wall
III
no one speaks to each other here a neighbor tells me
breaking the rule
after a year
at pre-determined hours
two or three old men and a child
take their respective dogs out for a walk one of them is in the habit of
letting the dog run loose
the others stop
each time
the dog stops
IV
usually silence prevails
broken only by the noise of traffic that swells
at the hours when offices open or close
but occasionally
through paper-thin walls one overhears
a bitter violent discussion
full of resentment
for a ruined life melodramatic panting
background music from the television set
V
a block away
large bulldozers
busily demolish a small grove
in order to erect a mass of buildings exactly like
this one