They Were Here/And Now They Are Not Here Poem by Shalom Freedman

They were here
And now they are not here
For almost twenty years
Neighbors strangers
From another world
Good people simple people
Friends in a way
They are gone
And it is lonely without them
The building is empty
We live here almost alone now
One other man alone in the building
They came from another poorer world
From the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan
They build this neighborhood
They had families
They lived a life
They are largely gone now
I miss them
Strangers good people friends in a way
No longer here
Life in old age is a bit lonely anyway
And now it is a bit more lonely