There's Been A Death In The Opposite House

By Emily Dickinson

There's been a death in the opposite house

As lately as today.

I know it by the numb look

Such houses have alway.

The neighbours rustle in and out,

The doctor drives away.

A window opens like a pod,

Abrupt, mechanically;

Somebody flings a mattress out, -

The children hurry by;

They wonder if It died on that, -

I used to when a boy.

The minister goes stiffly in

As if the house were his,

And he owned all the mourners now,

And little boys besides;

And then the milliner, and the man

Of the appalling trade,

To take the measure of the house.

There'll be that dark parade

Of tassels and of coaches soon;

It's easy as a sign, -

The intuition of the news

In just a country town.

Remember this poem in your English Syllabus?

Well, it's always the tell-tale signs.

Taking my usual walk last Friday evening at 7pm, I heard the siren of an ambulance making its way into the neighbourhood. I saw a familiar lady in the ambulance though I could not place her then and thought someone must be ill and needed help.

At 7.30pm I walked past a neighbour's house and saw the same ambulance exiting...could it be him? Just like what the poem reiterated, I was curious and there was something amiss about the house...that numb look?..that intuition?

I had heard about his ailment and his numbered days but sometimes it is hard to face reality when the time arrives.

Then this other sign...rows and rows of cars all queuing up, perhaps to pay final respects ? Another tell-tale sign? I could feel he must be dearly loved and many are not willing to let him go. But when death knocks at the door, who can stop it?

Today, I heard he left at 10 am and we are sorry to hear about it.

To my neighbour down the corner and his family, our condolences.

Untimely at such an age.