Neighbors By David Allan Evans: Poem Analysis
This is a brief poem titled “Neighbors.” It may brief, but there is a deeper message than can be found in between the lines. This poem was found online, and was created by David Allan Evans, who is a well-known poet. It is a little excerpt that describes a strange wife and husband doing a normal task, but adding a strange twist to it. It talks about their demeanor, and their strange actions. This poem seems to be a reflection on the author’s real life neighbors, which adds a strange twist to the poem. One of the most interesting things about this poem was the way the poem is broken up. It is broken up in 2-3 phrases per stanza to emphasize a certain point in each one. The poem opens up with the lines “They live alone/ together” (Evans 1-2).
This opening is supposed to show right away that these neighbors are strange. It also connects with the ideology that strange neighbors tend to be outcasts, and have a hard time socializing. It even says midway through the poem that “They never talk/but keep busy”(Evans 7-8). This affirms that even when they are together, they are a strange couple. This adds a sense of mystery to these two individuals. These neighbors also show strange behavior in a very simple task, cleaning windows. As they are cleaning windows the husband turns and “squirts Windex in her face” (Evans 14) and then she does the same. This makes me question the sanity of these two individuals due to the fact that Windex is very toxic and can harm and even blind people. These neighbors were obviously strange, and this is emphasized by the fact that the author wrote a poem about them. These people seem to intrigue, and scare the author a little bit. The poem ends with the couple waving rags at each other not smiling. This poem can be connected to the song “Neighborhood.” In the song, it talks about all the strange habits of the neighbors who live around him. All the neighbors, in a similar way to these ones, are social outcasts and can even be considered dangerous to a degree. Although I believe that these neighbors are less threatening than those mentioned in the song. They are more mysterious than anything. Why would they act the way they act? These neighbors also demonstrate suspicious behavior. They do not smile, they do not talk, and they do not seem friendly. These are surely some weird neighbors.
This opening is supposed to show right away that these neighbors are strange. It also connects with the ideology that strange neighbors tend to be outcasts, and have a hard time socializing. It even says midway through the poem that “They never talk/but keep busy”(Evans 7-8). This affirms that even when they are together, they are a strange couple. This adds a sense of mystery to these two individuals. These neighbors also show strange behavior in a very simple task, cleaning windows. As they are cleaning windows the husband turns and “squirts Windex in her face” (Evans 14) and then she does the same. This makes me question the sanity of these two individuals due to the fact that Windex is very toxic and can harm and even blind people. These neighbors were obviously strange, and this is emphasized by the fact that the author wrote a poem about them. These people seem to intrigue, and scare the author a little bit. The poem ends with the couple waving rags at each other not smiling. This poem can be connected to the song “Neighborhood.” In the song, it talks about all the strange habits of the neighbors who live around him. All the neighbors, in a similar way to these ones, are social outcasts and can even be considered dangerous to a degree. Although I believe that these neighbors are less threatening than those mentioned in the song. They are more mysterious than anything. Why would they act the way they act? These neighbors also demonstrate suspicious behavior. They do not smile, they do not talk, and they do not seem friendly. These are surely some weird neighbors.