The strange face peers through the dew dropped glass pane
With hope that I be of similar cloth
Continued questions swirl ‘round in their brain
Is this caterpillar really a moth?
Wide eyed and keen they watch well intended
Until once and for all courage befalls
And a quivering hand be extended
A heartfelt handshake and all it enthralls
And hence forth a warm friendship bears favor
Conversation and laughter in cascade
Timid smiles alongside “Hello Neighbour”
Return echoes “Hi Neighbor” not delayed
Divergent worlds of two widespread cultures
Come quilted by respect, quelling all conjectures
NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOUR – SYNOPSIS
We moved to the USA in 1995. Reluctant to be too far from family, we ventured 220 miles
south to Fargo, North Dakota where I worked until I retired in 2014. It didn’t take me long to see the difference between me as a Canadian and the people next door was as subtle as the variance in the spelling of neighbor/neighbour. It came as a surprise that many of my American friends and colleagues voiced concerns that Canadians were dying prematurely due to lack of access and rationing of our universal health care system. Then again, my Canadian colleagues
thought uninsured Americans were getting turned away from the ER and medical offices if they couldn’t afford to pay for care. Moving opened my eyes to the importance of seeking out truths. Travel moved my heart to understand and respect diversity. After all, only a mutually agreed upon line in the ground between two countries deemed us different cultures in the first place.
Beautiful poem❤️🌷