Across The Hall
The woman who owns my apartment building knocks at my door
She wants to speak about last night
‘Last night?’ I ask
As if I don’t know what she’s referencing.
She says, ‘didn’t you hear the commotion?’
She asks if I have anything to add to the eviction notice she’s created.
I say, ‘she’s always offered me a smile
And she seems kind’
I don’t know my neighbour’s first name but I can see her door
When I look through the peep hole of mine.
In 1964 Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death in New York.
There were dozens of witnesses
Except nobody intervened or even called the cops.
They just let her die.
They later blamed the bystander effect
A psychological phenomenon stating people are less likely to intervene in an emergency situation when they know other people are present.
Rewind.
It’s 3:30 in the morning and I wake up, hear somebody yelling and at first I am confused.
But it doesn’t take long to know what’s going on
Even the groggy can identify when somebody is being abused.
She’s yelling, Somebody help me, let me in!’
Then turns says ‘you asshole what are you really going to do?’
He punches her, knocks her to the ground and says, ‘I will take your daughter
And kill you.’
At some point I put a towel under the door so they wouldn’t know I was there
I watched him hit her and drag her back inside by pulling her by her hair.
The cops came after 10 minutes maybe a bit more.
At first they knocked lightly, but were quickly Billy club banging the door.
After 20 minutes and a key from the super that didn’t work cop said they’d break it down.
He opened did a fake yawn as if he’d been sleeping
When even the deaf on my floor would have been long awoken from the vibration made from the sound.
Cops when inside to talk, left for their squad car but quickly returned
Had some top secret cop information their computers had learned.
He was on house arrest.
Problem and technicality was that it was to a different address.
And while this may seem like a minor infraction
Cops said they had to take him away for his unlawful action.
Now she quickly pipes up
‘You don’t understand I asked him to help with my daughter please
Don’t blame him this is all my fault!’
She begged on her knees.
A part of me felt I was watching peep hole tv it seemed surreal
But when I took time to imagine walking in her shoes
I understood her appeal
Knowing they took the elevator
I spent months using mostly the stairs
Afraid my poker face would be penetrated
By even a casual glare
Though at some point I realized I didn’t see that boyfriend again.
Don’t know if he was sent away or if there relationship came to an end.
I never claimed I was a hero or anything at all
I just the neighbour too afraid to admit I’d made the 911 call.