03/18/2026
Once upon a neighborhood
we believed in front porches
lemonade stands
and waving to the mail carrier
just because.
We believed in neighbors.
Not red ones.
Not blue ones.
Just the kind that knew
your dog’s name
and noticed
when you looked sad.
America,
you’ve been arguing
at the dinner table
for so long
you forgot
how to pass the peas.
But I’m here to remind you—
you don’t need to agree
to be kind.
You don’t need to match
to matter.
Democracy is a sandbox
not a battlefield.
And decency?
That’s the quiet magic
that keeps the swing set upright
even when the sky darkens.
Black or white
rural or city
we all carry
the same secret wish
to be seen
to be safe
to be loved
just as we are.
Dear America,
Won’t you be my neighbor?
Still?
Always?
With love and cardigan pockets full of hope,
Mr. Rogers
***************
Poem © Angi Sullins - my new book "The Fragile and the Fierce - Poetic Remedies for the Tender, the Tired, and the Unyielding” AVAILABLE HERE: https://angisullins.com/shop-3-2/
Times are dicey out there, friends, and free speech has gotten quite expensive. Please stay in touch with me by joining my mailing list here https://angisullins.com/get-your-muse-letter-2/. It’s the way I can reach you to tell you about public appearances, live readings, and any chance we have to get together as a tribe in person. It’s the best way to keep our independence in tact and the power to communicate alive, protected from being silenced.
