For oom Piet

• Finuala Dowling: 'How close are you to your neighbours? Do you visit them often or just see them in passing? Have you ever gone through a difficult time in your life and found solace in a stranger?'
• The poem is a free verse without a formal rhyme scheme and meter
• Poem structure


  1. 4 stanzas of varying lengths

  2. Middle two stanzas are 8 lines long

  3. Each stanza describes a sequence of events
• When the speaker was least happy


  Her daughter led her across the road to a neighbour she did not know
• Daughter


  • A toddler with a "purpose"
  • Ignores "gates and fences" and focuses on the "ducks and puppies" on the other side
• "Foeitog"


  An Afrikaans interjection expressing surprise/sympathy
• "I don't hope so"

  A bit clumsy, an English Home Language speaker might say "I hope not"
• The tone seems supportive, hopeful, optimistic and kind throughout the poem
• Oom Piet


  • Works in agriculture
  • Good with animals and humans
  • An older, cultured man who offered friendship
• When it rained


  Oom Piet phoned and sent ducks for the speaker's daughter
• Oom Piet and the speaker no longer live as neighbours, but the speaker feels a "sense of rescue" and being "saved"
• The poem explores the power of healing, connectedness and a feeling of belonging in community
• The poem encourages the reader to reach out when they need help or offer assistance to someone who needs it
• The poet's tone is nostalgic, grateful and conversational