His words
scald the souls
of
the poor wife-
the only son-
the mother in law-
strangely,
he neighbors us well-
honey and sugar
he is
to those living close by-
he keeps our keys when we are away-
in times of need he’s by your side always-
he has earned the sobriquet,
gentlest of men-
all rough edges smoothen,
thorns spell petals,
when it’s a neighbor-
otherwise
the tooth and nail; the knife and stone
are kept intact
for home usage-
should I love this “crooked neighbor”
with my “crooked heart”?
Quoted words are from Auden’s poem, ‘As I Walked Out One Evening’
Posted for my prompt ~ Neighbors @ Poets United Midweek Motif
sumanar/lekha 
Yes. What a clear portrait you create! I see him. I wonder if he would share a meal with someone he doesn’t consider a neighbor if they were both guests at another house (yours?) simultaneously. As long as there is life, there is hope.
Sounds like a “good neighbor!”
I like how you used Auden’s words. You describe someone who is kind to neighbors but treats his family as enemy. Sad that there are those like this. Made me think of stories my mother told me about an old custom in Puerto Rico (where I’m from). If a neighbor dropped by at meal time, the meat was taken from the children’s plate and given to the neighbor. This was the courtesy of poverty. Don’t know how true this was or if my mother ever did that. Hope not.
Oh the public face and the private face. I have a neighbour like that, who is pleasant to me but terrible to some other neighbours. I am plesant to him to maintain the peace and not raise his ire……..but am very guarded and careful, knowing how volatile he can be. Peoples’ behaviours are an amazement to me.
This is incredibly evocative, Sumana. I can picture him .. and wonder how many more shades there are to his personality. Thank you for the lovely prompt ❤️ It made me very emotional 🙂
He sounds like a good neighbor worthy of love.
That occasional glimpse behind the neighbors door is often one of sadness at their relationship.I have seen this too. It makes me very thankful for my own families lives.
We all just coexist as minimally and as politely as possible these days… it seems to work well especially if all we want is plenty of privacy and quiet!
A vivid portrait of the kind of neighbour, we’d all like, Sumana, who looks after the neighbourhood and ‘has earned the sobriquet gentlest of men’.
A moving portrayal of a complex man: good to his neighbors, but bad to his family. I like how you use short lines to maintain a staccato beat! 🙂
Not sure about this Jekyll and Hyde personality. Very well penned!