Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, MY NEIGHBOR COMPARES HER HOUSE WITH MINE, by MARY SINTON LEITCH


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

MY NEIGHBOR COMPARES HER HOUSE WITH MINE, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: My house is kempt and tidy
Last Line: Only a passing hour!
Subject(s): Envy; Houses; Jealousy


My house is kempt and tidy:
A friend who comes to dine
Makes laughing shrift of envy
To see my windows shine.

The spots that fleck her damask
Never will come off,
While mine is white as mallow blooms
Or a nun's coif.

She cries out at the peonies
Within my boxwood close;
She fondles every violet,
She smiles on every rose.

If one unwary jonquil peeps
From out her garden bed --
One pansy, one gladiolus --
Off goes its head!

So many young impetuous hands!
So many heedless feet! . . .
Well may my neighbor find my house
An easeful calm retreat:

Well may she like the ordered paths,
The garden all in flower.
She has their faultlessness to bear
Only a passing hour!





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