Best Neighbors Poems
There was a fruit seller named Schaber
And she was a peculiar neighbor
With kids named Cherry
Apple and Blueberry
Who were all the fruits of her labor
Well sometimes she would drop by
And have a weird look in her eye
But that made us wary
With kids named berry
When she offered us homemade pie
Then one day moved in butcher Pete
Who named his kids after meat
Like T-bone and Chuck
Porky and Buck
So at picnics no one would eat
About head high, two bluebirds built a nest
Outside my window, in a young oak tree
They built their house complete with nursery
Last spring she chirped a lover's sweet request
It wasn't long before their home was blessed
Three little ones that chirped incessantly
They raised them to live independently
Last week they left no forwarding address
But I have hope they will return in spring
Rebuild even remodel, either way
Each day they said hello and were so kind
How beautiful it was to hear them sing
Perhaps, next year I'll ask if they can stay
Because good neighbors are so hard to find
November 20 2016
Italian Sonnet
As Miss Luby watches from her window
a moving van backs up
the driveway across the street
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
its warning cry has a beacon-like effect
on the neighborhood
arousing interest from all corners
everything suddenly shaken awake
Even the squirrels stop, stock-still
save an occasional flick of the tail
Miss Luby's cat, also
watching from the window
pauses momentarily, paw suspended
before continuing to clean herself
And one by one, the other inhabitants
invent clever ways to investigate
without seeming obviously interested
Miss Luby's next-door neighbor, Fred
flits outside to water the plants
in his front flowerbeds, distractedly
soaking the sidewalk instead
While dotty old Mrs. Pappadopoulos
puffs along, pulling her little Pomeranian
up the street for a “walk”
slyly turning her head, rather owlishly
as she passes by
Silvia, Miss Luby's other next-door neighbor
is still in her housedress and can't go out
so she sends her three beastly little boys out
to play, knowing they will get the inside scoop
and sure enough, within forty-five seconds
they have accidentally-on-purpose
sent a toy airplane across the street
and spend the next half hour retrieving it
following the new neighbors
in and out like so many
playful puppies
Not to be left out
of the hullabaloo, the hoity-toity
housewife from two doors down
high-steps out to size up the new arrivals
over-casually strolling with
her beautifully bundled babies in tow
putting on quite a show
suddenly disappointed
realizing they're just common-folk
not the kind she wanted to know
All the while, the new neighbors
exhausted, amble in and out
of their new home
staggering
under stacks of small pieces
lumbering along
awkwardly lugging larger ones
A teenage boy
silently glides past on a skateboard
giving side-eye to the boring, middle-aged
couple- as he is nearly hit by a car passing by
driver distracted by the moving van
Very Welcome Neighbors II
The Reticulated Woodpecker mates, made it through the winter……
…..offspring, one of each gender arrive with fanfare!
About one quarter the size of each parent, of course the female is the smaller bird…..Ohh, the splendor of the male sibling born with a complete fiery red-
crested head.
A set of a mini-mom and dad complete. Their parents hangout with them for weeks y
l
While they learn to f
And become self- sufficient.
The cozy nest they pecked open wide and filled with natures comforts the parents had prepared in the Winter atop a dying palm.
The lovely carved out safe-haven survived through the Spring…..compelled by instinct, the two Adult love-peckers go their own way…
…leaving their children behind in a familiar Patch of the woods with their home. p
o
t
The siblings have yet to stray too far. Gazing at the female as she searches A
what is left of the dead palm after the nest segment fell to the
Ground
easily snapping
off from all the soaking rains…
....The
palm now three quarters of its original height and rimmed with a rigid new opening.
I have my eyes on you two!
Give me the olden days
Before I-pads, I-pods, and I-phones.
When phones were attached to walls.
Summertime people sat on their porches.
Listening to and scolding each other’s children.
Before “self-esteem” was invented.
Conversation ran rampant, people were not afraid to laugh
At themselves and each other.
No one was offended.
We were neighbors.
Everything was hilarious.
We all had homemade Kool aid popsicles,
This was before “germs” were invented.
We were people, belly to belly,
Listening and learning,
All together.
We pushed each other down,
And we kicked each other, but
No one talked about haters or bullies.
No one talked about Republicans or Democrats.
No one talked about other people’s religion.
This was the 1950’s, before “disrespect” was invented.
a worm and hook plop
orange koi gather around
like nosy neighbors
NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS
by
JOHN M. ARRIBAS
There are beautiful persons on this planet of ours
I’m not talking about politicians nor movie stars
I’m talking about plain folks who are always available
To give you a couple of bucks or a seat at their table
They serve as volunteers at charitable events
Help the boy scouts when pitching their tents
Buy girl scout cookies , even if short of cash
Help an elderly couple take out their trash
They give you a smile and a warm embrace
When they know you’ve got a problem to face
They come out of the sunlight willing to share
Offering companionship ,comfort and care
They’re experts at consoling those in distress
A times you’ll see their names in the press
You don’t need to search they’ll find you
To lend a hand on whatever is troubling you
We never know how close these folks may be
So I hope they are as close as you are to me
An old man went
Out deer hunting
And shot a horse
When the neighbor
Realized that his
Horse was dead
He went to the man
And asked him
Why he shot his horse
The old man fell into his yard chair
And stared ahead
“I shot your horse John”
“You shot my horse
Frank and now he’s laying over there
In a pile of cow dung!”
He took off his glasses
and rubbed his eyes
and began to weep
The neighbor shook his head
And walked to his dead horse
He took off his cap and began to weep
Soon the old man came over
And saw that he was weeping
They looked at the horse and wept together
He wasn’t just a horse
He was my friend
He was my family
After a while frank
Came back with a shovel
And looked at his neighbor
He began to dig
But soon fell over.
And laid in the dirt
He left Frank where fell
next to the dead horse
And returned with a tractor
When it was all over
He hoisted the horse into the hole
And covered him up.
He shut off the tractor
And came to look
At his buried horse
They stood in silence
And stared at the earth
And Soon they wept
Frank looked
At his neighbor
And sobbed
He told him
to go home and frank
Slowly walked away
John picked up his shovel
and shouted his name
and held it out for him
He walked back
And took the shovel
“I’m sorry about your horse John”
John watched him walk away
And looked at the cows in the field
after while he started the tractor and drove away
Very Welcome Neighbors!
the sun has popped up
a pair of woodpeckers wake
creating exotic drum sounds
~~~
carved a hole to nest
atop a dying palm tree trunk
the birds do not rush
~~~
uncleared lot their home
each tree they visit to peck
produces different tones
~~~
male dons the red crest
female is smaller and plain
two become one team
~~~
courtship all winter
saving breeding for the spring
taking equal share
~~~
amazing male fact
his main reason for pecking
sexual tension
Sunshine Williams
I died some eggs for Easter to celebrate the season.
How was I to know what would happen when, I’d leave them.
Upon the counter top they sat, drying for awhile.
When I returned, they’d come to life;
giggly, jiggly, wiggly cartoons met my eyes.
They were having a conversation; talking all at once;
Sarcastic egg pointed me out as the one who’d boiled them!
Screaming ensued that brought the neighbors; now...silence.
My Neighbors Untimely Demise
Upon a late and dismal night, I sat to drinking, full of spite, my glass by me was drained, the jack and coke now pre ordained by me to empty whilst it poured outside, that frigid autumn sky.
A problem, seemingly absurd yet twas the way in which I’d heard and not the just of it that burned itself into my angry brain. A simple string of little words but strung together so absurd-ly as to challenge my refrain,
Twas not the intention nor the prose, but more the delivery of the note, the way in which the note had got me.
Not by post or word from tongue but tied to brick through window flung, sent shattered glass around my flat, bounced off my boot and spooked the cat.
As I recovered my shock and plucked the note and weighty block. My eyes did fairly smolder a look of death I’m certain took over, as the words I did take in, did turn red, my facial skin.
For you see this note with bricked weight was not for my eyes to partake but the gal next doors unlucky mate.
The married man had spurned a lover, and spurned, she retorted but hit her brother.
Take my name
deface it
make it taboo
break every letter in half
my last name too.
grab my middle name
laugh at it
throw it down stream!
make the alphabet forget
how it arranged to spell me.
my name is not me!
it does not explain my person
it labels me for labeling
and defines me by the surface.
a more simple version
would be
knowing each other by emotions.
but we left our shores
and started wars
lost compassion in the ocean.
Navigating nervously through our natural neighborhood, our native nest away from the noise and neon nightlights
No need for the numerous noxious normality's named nectars of necessity
Neurotic nightmares of numbers and names; knickknacks, nukes, and narrow-minded ways
Nauseating and never-ending
Noble is the nomad; nimble through the netting with no need for its negativity
A new narration away from normal to the nurturing arms of nature
Neutral and nocturnal, novel nuances for the nameless and the neglected seeking nirvana
Negate the noose nudged forward by our nation and nullify the negative, bare naked in numinous nascent
I saw a light on the side of the road
Shining like a star in the dirt
Dusty diamonds in the rough
Cosmic talcum in the night
Fey child
Old little Good Neighbor lost to this time
Will-o-the-wisp in the gravel
She backed into the grass as I walked up
Wings to the wall, one might say
With a fallen whimpering mew
A secretive look fell into my eyes
And I left sugar-water and milk by the road.
SETI says there might be life out there
The Earthling points a finger up in that direction
The cosmos is only minutes away from everywhere
Neighbors wait for a cup of sugar or a wave
Perhaps a radio wave would do
95 light years is really not all that far away
Try not to use the car as there are no roads
The tires are bald and insurance has expired
65 billion years ago their sun evolved
Our neighbors can wait a little longer for a signal
Do they count on 6 fingers or tentacles or circuits?
We have a sense they do not pray
ET does not go to church on Sundays
Simply because Sundays are too far away from them
Most aliens don't speak English
We'll have to follow along on radio waves
To see what they do next
ET please be brave
We are on our way
(Supportive data - released on 8/29/16)
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/not-a-drill-seti-is-investigating-a-possible-extraterrestrial-signal-from-deep-space/ar-AAid9oY?OCID=ansmsnnews11