Your Neighbor
That woman who walks around
in clothes that look like yesterday’s,
with hair that might not have been washed
today, that woman who mumbles strange
rhythms too low to hear, who stops
to examine the small and the dead,
all things invisible from the window,
that woman sitting on the stoop scratching
in the notebook she carries everywhere,
that woman you see from time to time
but never the same time, that woman
isn’t crazy. She hears voices for sure,
but she isn’t crazy. She’s me.
I’m sure hoping some of you can relate to at least some of this?
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(c) Elizabeth Steinglass, 2013, all rights reserved
Oh that’s an interesting one, Liz. I love it!
Intriguing at the beginning, surprising at the end. Wonderful!
Wow, Liz. You made normal sound so spooky. It’s all about tone.
I’m glad you consider that behavior normal!
Oh yes, I’ve been “that woman”. Especially, “that woman sitting on the stoop scratching
in the notebook she carries everywhere,” I like that this poem make one think about themselves and the people they see (their neighbors) in a new light. Thanks for sharing, Liz! =)
I was in the middle of your poem and thinking exactly that… she’s describing me!!! Then, of course, I thought, “geez, I wonder if I really do come across as schizophrenic.” Please don’t answer that. Wonderful poem, Liz!
I’m guessing neither of us appears schizophrenic–just poetic?
Funny! The notebook was a lovely detail – I carry one around, too, and now I know what folks glancing my way are thinking.
I suspected this might be you right from the top. Interesting to look at ourselves through others eyes.
I love the twist in the end. The picture too is perfect for the poem. 🙂 Thank you for sharing about ‘that woman.’
I love to try to figure out the stories of people I run across — I wonder if I would have guessed yours!
A fun twist there at the end! When I read this was inspired by getting locked out of your house and read the first few lines I thought, “Uh-oh, the only person around to help her was the Neighborhood Crazy Lady.” HA. We are the crazy ladies!
Very funny!
haha Liz! We poets are a ‘crazy’ lot. I’ve had friends tell me they think I’m eccentric. Who me?
HAHA! I love the hopeful question mark on your “can someone relate to this” sentence. YES, you are not alone! Especially with the yesterday’s clothes and unwashed hair. Showering and dressing is SUCH a waste of time, isn’t it?
This is such a fun poem, Liz. I thought it was going to be about you, but all the different descriptions led me to believe it was about all the neighborhood ladies – so that surprise at the end was nice. 🙂
Oh my! You’ve seen me, then?!? 🙂
Never mind “crazy like a fox;” we should say “crazy like a poet.” Recently on our neighborhood listserv there was a long series of posts about sightings of a certain woman who might have been connected to some break-ins. People were trying to decide what makes a person looks suspicious, and “standing on the sidewalk writing in a notebook” was suggested as a clue. Then another neighbor wrote in to say that SHE walks the neighborhood writing in a notebook because she’s a poet–would folks call the police on her???
No, you’re not the only one, Liz!
I assumed the neighbors might think I was nuts, but it never occurred to me that they might take me for a thief!