Fences

 

Fences

While taking a walk outside today,

I noticed a variety of fences along the way,

Some were wooden.  Others were metal or split rail,

Some looked strong and others looked terribly frail,

Some were for privacy, others for safety, as I walked by the school,

A backyard, a playground, a community swimming pool,

Fences were keeping others out; they were keeping others in,

And I remembered a familiar poem from way back when,

Robert Frost’s “Mending Wall” about a stone wall, in need of repair,

One neighbor diligently building while his neighbor questioned why the fence was even there,

“Good fences make good neighbors” is the idiom from this rhyme,

This saying has been stated time after time,

Boundaries are sometimes necessary to honor a person’s land,

It’s not about drawing a proverbial bold line in the sand,

It’s a matter of respect, I was taught as a girl,

You just don’t go wandering around like a feral squirrel,

Though fences should not be about isolation,

Hospitality defies any consternation,

Good neighbors treat others like they want to be treated,

It’s the golden rule and is worth being repeated.

Tammy Harvey  1/8/2025