They closed the street at four, put the tables end to end And every house brought something — even Dave, who also brought a friend And a casserole — he brought a casserole And set it down between the Garcias' guac and Margaret's bread bowl I walked out with a folding chair and a drink that was ice-cold And the sun was doing that late-afternoon thing where everything's gold And the whole block was there — every single one The leaf-blower guy, the fence-line guy, the mower, the dog, everyone The Hendersons brought speakers and their Wi-Fi, bless their hearts The HOA chair brought the minutes — someone told her not to start Gerald plugged in just a few lights — just a few hundred thousand lights And the teenager across the street showed up and was actually polite The dog barked at the burgers and the burgers didn't mind And the mower guy was telling jokes — the mower guy is funny? The fence-line neighbor brought tomatoes from the strip We didn't mention whose side — we just ate and let it sit This is the block party, the one day we agree That the street we share is the best and there's no other place where we would rather be Come as you are — bring your casserole, your kid Your unsolicited opinions and the questionable thing you did This is the block party, the annual reprieve From the fence lines and the Wi-Fi and the noise we don't believe We'd miss — but we'd miss it, every single bit This is the block party and everyone's invited (Even Margaret) (Especially Margaret) The kids ran through the sprinklers while the dads compared their grills And the moms compared their patience, which requires greater skills Someone brought a karaoke mic — a brave and reckless choice And the leaf-blower guy did "Bohemian Rhapsody" in his full theatrical voice Dave asked if I needed anything — anything at all I said "just one thing, Dave" — and he laughed, already walking to his hall He came back with the drill (Finally) (It still had charge) (I may have cried a little) There's the woman who signs for your packages when you're gone And the guy who moves your trash cans back on windy days There's the family that waves every morning from their porch Even though you've never learned their name — you just wave back There's the kid who rides her bike in circles for hours And the old man who watches from his window like a lighthouse And the couple who argues on Tuesday nights But always holds hands at the mailbox on Wednesday morning That's the block That's the whole block And tonight — just tonight — nobody's wrong about anything This is the block party, the best night of the year Where the leaf blower's quiet and the only sound is here The laughter and the music and the "pass the corn" and "cheers" This is the block party and we've been neighbors now for years Through the fences and the arguments, the borrowed drills and dogs Through the HOA minutes and the holiday decor Through the Wi-Fi and the mowing and the packages gone wrong This is the block party — and this is our song (Everybody now) This is the block party And you're all invited This is the block party And we're glad you're here The tables come down around ten The street reopens, cars again The folding chairs go back inside The lights go off on either side But something stays — I felt it land When Dave returned the drill by hand When Margaret smiled without a clause When all of us forgot the cause Of every little war we'd fought On this street, over this plot Of land, of lawn, of fence, of air We're neighbors — and we're glad you're there (Goodnight, Maple Place) (Same time next year)
