The Drywall Barrier

The book is open but the words are dead.

A sudden peal of laughter, sharp and bright,

comes slicing through the plaster by my head

and spills into the middle of my night.

I can feel the vibration of a glass

against the shared wall, a ghostly chime.

I watch the shadows of the people pass

who have no concept of the quiet crime

of being happy while the neighbor waits.