Respect

Summary

The text is a poignant reflection on the narrator's respectful observation of elderly neighbors' daily struggles and the somber arrival of paramedics.

Abstract

The poem "Respect" by Jenny Justice captures a moment of quiet reflection as the narrator observes their elderly neighbors' routine of assisting each other with daily tasks, despite their own physical limitations. The tone shifts with the arrival of paramedics, suggesting a serious health event. The narrator chooses to continue walking, out of respect for the neighbors' privacy and dignity during a vulnerable time. Jenny Justice is presented as a compassionate poet who uses her work to inspire empathy and connection, with a focus on themes like love, climate change, and the essence of poetry itself. The website also provides links to more of her work and ways to support her poetry.

Opinions

The narrator shows deep empathy and respect for the elderly couple's autonomy and privacy.
There is an underlying admiration for the couple's resilience and mutual support, even as they face health challenges.
The act of not stopping to stare at the unfolding emergency is a conscious choice made out of respect, highlighting the poet's belief in the importance of privacy during personal crises.
Jenny Justice's body of work suggests a commitment to using poetry to raise awareness about important issues and to foster emotional connections with her readers.
The poet's decision to continue walking, rather than intrude on the neighbors' situation, reflects a broader message about the value of consideration and discretion in society.

A Poem

Whenever the paramedics arrive my heart squeezes.

Every day they take turns carrying their little cart up the stairs

groceries, kitty litter, down the stairs trash, recycling.

Every time I see them they go slower but they always wait for each other.

He with his cane and head that can only look down, she with her hip, healing, broken, healing, broken

his steps her steps they arrive at the landing they go into their apartment

together. Today the stretcher came

for one of them — I did not stop

and stare I did not wait to see

which one of my elderly neighbors was sick, ill, maybe worse, maybe gone

I just walked down my steps slowly

out of respect.

Jenny Justice is a poet mom who longs to bring poetry to life in ways that spark empathy, connection, joy, and feeling. She loves writing love poems, climate change awareness poems, poems for kids, and of course, poems about poetry and poets. You can follow her on Medium and at Jenny Justice, Writer and support her poetry at Justice Poetic. You can also support her on Patreon and sign up for her poem a week newsletter here. Her first collection of poetry, Love in the Time of Climate Change was released on December 9, 2019.

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