Seen at a Gate (was House Poor) - edit4

[Knot]

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Hi duke,
lots to like, though I too miss 'boasts'.
Is there anything better than 'nice/posh'.

Not keen on the title, seems a bit too restrictive.

I passed an old man chipping at a fence
of iron, slowly scaling off its rust,
- why 'its' rather than 'the'? Just curious.
and wondered what had brought this codger thence–
- not sure about 'codger', has its origins in beggar
so rather preempts 'destitute'. Maybe fellow/elder?
could he be destitute, so poor he must
- 'might' for 'could'?
(might he be destitute, and so must needs ... ?)
perform odd jobs to earn his bread today?
- 'today' seems to be filler - just there for the rhyme..
(perform odd jobs to supplement his crust ?)
Or was he house-poor, working on his own
last residence because he couldn’t pay
- 'last' seems a bit presumptuous. How do you know?
a younger man to help, so scraped alone?
- I think you've got space to fit in a further speculation:
that he was doing it for love, pleasure or pride (or because
his partner has been nagging him )
That place was nice; no cheaper home, like mine,
has fences so demanding or so fine.


Best, Knot


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