There’s Been a Death in the Opposite House
There’s been a death in the opposite house
As lately as today.
I know it by the numb look
Such houses have always.
The neighbors 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.
(a) Why do such houses have the numb look? [1 mark]
(b) Based on the poem, state the roles of the following people:
(i) the doctor
(ii) the man of the appalling trade [2 marks]
(c) What does the following statement mean :
I used to when a boy? [2 marks]
