Like a Good Neighbor

Photo: su250.com

Like a good neighbor, Barney was there.
Kept his mouth shut, didn’t dare interfere.

Like a good neighbor, Barney stood by,
covered his ears when he heard Kari cry.

Like a good neighbor, Barney ignored
signs of abuse from the couple next door.

Like a good neighbor, when the coroner came,
he told the cops nothing, had no one to blame.

When night came upon him, no sleep to be had,
Just like his neighbor, Barney went mad.

 

Written for Brian Miller’s prompt over at dVerse Poetics where the challenge is to write something based on a slogan. I chose State Farm Insurance’s jingle: “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” That’s how the rather sing-songy couplets happened. Thankfully, this is fictional.