They built this house years ago. The job was done by the Amish. Has good bones. However, it’s off square. Angles are forced. Joints don’t exactly meet. Probably has a million nails in it. Painted blue. A tin roof sat on top. Used to keep a beat when it rained. Suburban couple dancing to falling water hitting the house. Made them laugh.

There were no leaks in the house. No cracks. Pretty solid. It was made to last years after they were gone. And the next couple was gone after them. The windows were tight. Had blinds on them. Everyday the couple would open them and let in the morning sun. They’d look outside at the other suburban homes. They all looked the same. And, the peole who lived in them all looked the same. White folks with children. They wore khakis and Polo shirts. Drove minivans and SUV’s. One couple bought a Subaru just to be different. They’d park it in the driveway to show everybody how hep they were. Save The Planet bumper stickers along with rainbows on the back window. People talked behind their backs.

The housing addition was called Lake Shores, but, there was no lake in it. Just a pond that separated the houses. Neighbors waving at each other from their patios. Drinking beers and wine spritzers. Dogs barked at night. Held to being in the yards by electric fences. They wanted to jump in the pond on hot summer days, but, the invisible deterrent would stop them in their tracks. A life time of never getting what you want.

And, this couple, like all the rest of them, thought they had it made. Good jobs, women raised the kids. PTA meetings. Family vacations to Florida. Lines of cars running north to south during spring break. Going to the holy land. Said hello to Mickey. Moms would get tans and dads would get drunk. Fishing on boats out in the Atalantic. Children building sand castles. They thought it would never end.

Maybe the American dream is still alive. Ignorance is bliss.