Johanna Shapiro
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Neighbors
Death is not my lover – that would be morbid – nor even my best friend – though some say he can be that – He is merely become my near neighbor having taken up residence next door We are friendly in a cool sort of way Sometimes we wave when we are pulling out from our driveways I off to my work he off to…his We both joined the local Neighborhood Watch to guard against suspicious elements so he keeps an eye on me – and I on him Every so often, he borrows a cup of sugar (so old-fashioned!) I do not borrow anything from him as I do not wish to be in his debt I admit to some of the usual prejudices before I got to know him better The skeletal hands hanging menacingly from that creepy robe The hood, the scythe – it was so over the top But in person he is more ordinary He doesn’t even know how to play chess and he is fond of gardening – for which you must agree the scythe makes some sense In fact, as Miss Dickinson surmised, he is a perfect gentleman Although he works hard he is never too busy to stop and chat Do I think it looks like rain? he’ll ask Or have I heard our property taxes are going up… again? Nothing certain but death and taxes he likes to joke Of course, we have the occasional neighborly dispute – my hedge is grown too high his dog leaves unwanted gifts on my lawn – But we work it out That’s what neighbors do And when at last I take that long trip into eternity I will have no qualms about asking him to collect my mail |
JOHANNA SHAPIRO, PhD is professor of family medicine and director of the Program in Medical Humanities & Arts at the University of California – Irvine’s School of Medicine. As a psychologist and medical educator, she has focused her research and scholarship on various aspects of the doctor-patient relationship, including physician interactions with “difficult,” stigmatized, and culturally diverse patient populations. She is feature editor of the Family Medicine column, “Literature and the Arts in Medical Education,” poetry editor for Families, Systems, & Health, and poetry co-editor for the e-magazine Pulse. Her recent book, The Inner World of Medical Students: Listening to Their Voices in Poetry, is a critical analysis of important themes in the socialization process of medical students as expressed through their creative writing.
Highlighted in Frontispiece Spring 2010 – Volume 2, Issue 2
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