Neighbors

A neighbor in distress last night
Did knock upon our door;
Although we do not know her well,
Her plea we’d not ignore.

She didn’t want to be alone;
The ambulance was coming.
We opened up our home to her;
To nerves she was succumbing.

My husband, in a soothing tone,
Relaxed her, like a balm;
And though anxiety remained,
She struggled to stay calm.

The police and EMT’s arrived;
They strapped her on a gurney.
I scribbled our phone numbers
And they took her on her journey.

I tracked her down today to see
If she had been admitted;
She told me yes, but she’d get out
As soon as was permitted.

She thanked me awkwardly, I felt,
Although it did suffice.
The irony is that to us
She wasn’t very nice.

She never smiled a greeting,
She complained we were too loud;
And surely she was mortified
That we saw her so bowed.

I guess there is a lesson:
Don’t give in to the freedom
To antagonize your neighbors,
‘Cause someday you might need ‘em.