Do not mend your neighbor's fence before seeing to your own.
Related quotes
Comparisons
you have not seen how
they repaired the broken things
within their fences
you have seen me
how i mend our broken fence
and you say
we are worse than they
you always see the greener fence
beyond ours
i will not disagree with you
but you must understand that
this all about them and us
and please bear with me
there are no points of comparisons
you have never lived in their house.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Neighbor, Neighbor
Neighbor, neighbor, why you messin in my life?
Neighbor, neighbor, youve been talkin to my wife,
Tellin her you seen me
Runnin wild the other night,
Runnin wild the other night.
A neighbor, neighbor, theress always one in every crowd.
A neighbor, neighbor, tellin lies and talkin loud.
You better watch your step now.
You might fall off your cloud.
You might fall off your cloud.
Now I was walking down a dusty road
When along came a neighbor of mine.
He saw me walkin with my head hung down,
He just had to stop and pass the time.
Neighbor, neighbor, floatin in the salty brine.
Floatin in the salty brine.
song performed by by ZZ Top
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Dharma Talk # 2 (Cry For Help)
the growl in your stomach,
your neighbor's hunger.
the wet spot on your pillow,
your neighbor's tears.
the sharp pain in your heart,
your neighbor's eviction notice.
the sadness in your mirror...
your neighbor's cry for help!
WAKE UP!
poem by Eric Cockrell
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Love your neighbor as yourself; but don't take down the fence.
quote by Carl Sandburg
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Love your neighbor, but don't tear down your fence.
Comparisons (revised)
you have not seen how
they repaired the broken things
within their fences
you have seen me
how i mend our broken fence
and you say
we are worse than they
you always see the greener fence
beyond ours
i will not disagree with you
but you must understand that
this is all about them and us
and please bear with me
there are no points of comparisons
you have never lived in their house
we are a family and we must
accept with humility what broken things
we have in our house what small love
is left what waste we can still keep.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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A good neighbor is a fellow who smiles at you over the back fence, but doesn't climb over it.
quote by Arthur Baer
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Over There
The fence is long and high where we love
You cant see the other side where they live
Ive spied with my little eye
And Ive sighed with my little sigh
But it seems Ive give all that I can give
Every hour I have to count to ten
And a thousand times Ive thought again
But it seems Ive given all that I can give
Is there anyone there
Here is the fence that they built
{over there}
This is the fence that hate built
Is anyone there
{over there}
This is the fence that turns one into two
I want to break through but Im though if I do
Ive tried with my little try
And Ive cried with my little cry
But it seems that the gate holds the only clue
Every hour I have to count to ten
And a thousand times Ive though again
But it seems Ive given all that I can give
Is there anyone there
Here is the fence that they built
{over there}
This is the fence that hate built
Is anyone there
{over there}
[brilliant solo from stan the man]
Every hour I have to count to ten
And a thousand times Ive thought again
Is there anyone there
Here is the fence that they built
{over there}
This is the fence that hate built
Is anyone there
{over there}
Is there anyone there
Here is the fence that they built
{over there}
This is the fence that hate built
Is anyone there
{over there}
But it seems Ive give all that I can give
Is there anyone there
Here is the fence that they built
{over there}
This is the fence that hate built
Is anyone there
{over there}
song performed by by Housemartins
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Differences
My neighbor lives on the hill,
And I in the valley dwell,
My neighbor must look down on me,
Must I look up?--ah, well,
My neighbor lives on the hill,
And I in the valley dwell.
My neighbor reads, and prays,
And I--I laugh, God wot,
And sing like a bird when the grass is green
In my small garden plot;
But ah, he reads and prays,
And I--I laugh, God wot.
His face is a book of woe,
And mine is a song of glee;
A slave he is to the great 'They say,'
But I--I am bold and free;
No wonder he smacks of woe,
And I have the tang of glee.
My neighbor thinks me a fool,
'The same to yourself,' say I;
'Why take your books and take your prayers,
Give me the open sky;'
My neighbor thinks me a fool,
'The same to yourself,' say I.
poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar
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Just A Fence
I say this in truth and not in pretense
All else I wish to own is just a fence
A fence that is made out of steel or wood
Placed around my property as it should
Around my home to protect like a guard
So my dogs won't escape from their yard
I want them to be free without a restraint
To run and play without a neighbors complaint
A fence also to be a barrier from the street
So the many dangers or hazards they will not meet
But sadly I am poor and I have no extra expense
So all that I wish for, is just a fence.
poem by Randy McClave
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Humbug
Across the fence we stand on looking;
Nevertheless, I can see your glances,
hear your talks, smell your presence,
feel the currents and taste the essence
of your vision, in thought, part by part
and the response I got to my dart.
Notwithstanding the fence, we’re not apart.
Over the fence we do yet communicate.
Corporals are fenced to ensure chastity;
Any fence to forbid sexual amity?
Then why is all this humbug?
10.04.99
poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
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On the Boundary
I Love the ancient boundary-fence,
That mouldering chock-and-log.
When I go ride the boundary
I let the old horse jog
And take his pleasure in and out
Where the sandalwood grows dense,
And tender pines clasp hands across
The log that tops the fence.
’Tis pleasant on the boundary-fence,
These sultry summer days;
A mile away, outside the scrub,
The plain is all ablaze,
The sheep are panting on the camps,
The heat is so intense;
But here the shade is cool and sweet
Along the boundary-fence.
I love to loaf along the fence,
So does my collie dog,
He often finds a spotted cat
Hid in a hollow log;
He’s very near as old as I
And ought to have more sense,
I’ve hammered him so many times
Along the boundary-fence.
My mother says that boundary fence
Must surely be bewitched;
The old man says that through that fence
The neighbours are enriched;
It’s always down, and through the gaps
Our stock all get them hence,
I takes me half my time to watch
The doings of that fence.
But should you seek the reason
You won’t travel very far,
’Tis there a mile away among
The murmuring Belar:
The Jones’s block joins on to ours,
And so, in consequence,
It’s part of Polly’s work to ride
Their side the boundary-fence.
poem by Barcroft Henry Thomas Boake
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A love for neighbor
Love the neighbor
that is great honor
he will be first to attend
All may reach last including friends
the neighbor and guests are best
they stand the time and test
open your secrets and confide
Neighbor will know even if you hide
it is wrong to assume
no grudges and feelings to fume
if you know him to be near
there won't be any fear
Love the neighbor so to be close to Thy
there has to be no question as why?
rule or no rule he is there to rescue
relatives and friends may have no clue
Love wins you whole world
the neighbor must be in our hold
he is there to watch and protect
from any of the harm or ill act
we generally harbor ill feelings
we don’t go closer or even willing
this is one of gratest drawback
it may put us on backtrack
It may not help us either
Even seasons act wise in weather
we are sensible human being
we should not stick to views or cling
poem by Hasmukh Amathalal
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Irony Of Me
I can fix a flat tire
I can fix a bike
I can splice a wire
I can drive a spike
I can tune a car
or plaster a wall
I can weld a metal bar
can cut a tree and watch it fall
I can install a floor of tile
I can sharpen a blade
I can make little chidren smile
or make a golf ball fade
I can do most anything
But I can't mend my heart
It's lonely and abandoned
and broken apart
I can ski most any slope
and can skate any frozen lake
I can tie knots in rope
I can even bake a cake
I can play a song
and sing a tune
I can work all day long
or trim and prune
I can mend a fence
and fillet a fish
I can hammer out dents
or create a tasty dish
I can do most anything
But I can't mend my heart
It's lonely and blue
and broken apart
I can diaper a baby
and burp them too
I can turn a 'no' into a maybe
I can tighten a screw
I can swim many laps
and catch a fish with bare hands
I can find my way with map
and read a set of plans
I can decorate a tree
and place a star on top
and make coffee or tea
good to the last drop
I can do most anything
But I can't mend my heart
It's lonely and hopeless
and feels torn apart
poem by James T. Adair
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Aren't You All Neighbors?
If I consume more than my neighbor,
And squander my feeding at their expense...
To then expect for them to remain silent,
As they pay more for the construction of my fence.
Or the fixing of cracks on pavements I travel,
Without my offering a single cent.
Why should I be disturbed by their nonsense?
Yet I am the first to advocate the raising of rents,
To keep certain 'elements' away from me and distanced.
Should I get upset the request I pay higher taxes,
On my property that has been re-assessed?
Since I am more accustomed to live high on the hog,
While others around me find it difficult to live on less?
'But...
Aren't you all neighbors?
And aren't you all sharing the same amenities offered? '
I am a conservative.
I am not one of those 'liberals' seeking a hand-out.
I am entitled to be served.
'But...
Aren't you all neighbors?
And aren't you all sharing the same amenities offered? '
I am a conservative.
I am not one of those 'liberals' seeking a hand-out.
I am entitled to be served.
If I consume more than my neighbor,
And squander my feeding at their expense...
To then expect for them to remain silent,
As they pay more for the construction of my fence.
Why should I be disturbed by their nonsense?
'But...
Aren't you all neighbors? '
Why should I be disturbed by their nonsense?
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Beach Neighbor
at the other side
of the fence
is my British
expatriate
neighbor
his beard is white
and he is
6 feet tall
retired
military man
married to
a Filipina
who split with her husband
5 years ago
i watch him playing
with an adopted
2 year old
brown kid,
they are throwing stones
to the sea.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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Try Strive Live
a little birdie with broken wings
fly fly rise high
as it rise along it sings
come on lets touch the sky
the little spidie with broken arm
up up move up
as it strives along its swarm
come on rise up
so you fragile human with broken heart
mend mend mend it
as you live mend your heart
yes come one yes do it
poem by Gule Rukhsar
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When the Pain Begun Begins to Mend
When the pain begun begins to mend,
The sky is brighter.
The clouds then start to drift.
The rain dries and the thunder stops.
When the pain begun begins to mend,
A freshness occurs.
The Sun invites a rendezvous.
Just to sit with it,
And feel...
A soothing come over you.
When the pain begun begins to mend,
And you are there...
Ready to be healed,
Feeling a once broken heart...
Being pieced back together,
Completely.
When the pain begun begins to mend,
You are prepared to forget.
Wanting to forgive.
And wishing to be forgiven.
When the pain begun begins to mend!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Defenses
She'll never say it
This, nor the other:
She will never
ever
love again
The fence her fortress
forewarning 'bidding
'boding
The fence her offense
insipid speech of silence
tepid
The fence is fencing
The fence her armour
sword word arrow
passive aggressive
disconnected
sultry desultory dagger
But when she lowers her glasses
in such the way smiling
i steal a glimpse
there is no defense
copyright Randy Resh 2008
The Toronto Quarterly,2009
poem by Randy Resh
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