Das Burgerbauen war scher immer unsre Lust
—Günter Grass
 

Always, a neighbor's castle brings
envy and suspicion. Why do they need
such thick walls? Why so many
parapets, a watchman in each? We add
a higher tower to ours, deepen
the moat while aiming a howitzer
at their north wall. We'll build
a summer castle in the cool mountains
to secure the frontier, another to the west
where forest succumbs to desert.
Behind these walls we sleep
with one eye open.