Three in this Family

  

 

Three in this family:

Fright, Terror and Fear,

Sometimes they come together

At times one appears.

 

One, a sudden jolt,

One will trouble for life,

One is an ominous warning

Of coming strife.

 

One’s on the horizon,

One keeps our company,

One may come without warning

Bringing misery.

 

I will give you a chance

To make the distinction,

To distinguish between these three

With some conviction.

 

 

 

One is a sudden jolt,

One will trouble for life,

One is an ominous indication

Of oncoming strife.

 

Were you able to find

The difference between

Or have you opined that all three

Paint a similar scene?

 

Some interchange them

And will cite overlap

But from a purist’s point of view

This is not a fact.

 

You’ve had all three

At one time or another

But one of them, you will agree

Is a constant bother.

 

 

 

This one is a phobia

Or simply put, a fear,

And it is the one that haunts you

And does not go away.

 

The jolt, if you will,

Can be defined as fright,

Shortest in the family it happens

In the day or night.

 

The touch of a feather

Or a very narrow escape,

This lasts for nigh a few seconds

Quickening heart rate.

 

The third is frightening

Long before it happens

And even the bravest of persons

Will feel threatened.

 

 

 

From June to November

Is a lingering fear

But it becomes a troubling terror

As a storm draws near.

 

Yes, three in this family

Fright, terror and fear,

If by now you know the difference

You can go and prepare.

 

Stewart Russell © February 4, 2026

 

Friend and Fiend

 

 

Friend and fiend

So look alike yet so different,

The former we adore

The latter we resent.

 

A friend we all need

Note the presence of the “r”,

A fiend without it

Simply means keep far.

 

A friend in need

Is a friend indeed,

A fiend in deed

Will take you out with speed.

 

Just a little coloration

Or discoloration, if you please,

And a fiend can look like a friend

While putting you at ease.

 

 

The outcome, however,

Would be none too nice,

That friendly pit-bull

Can grip you like a vice.

 

 

Friend and fiend

Like the colorful snake,

Reaching out to stroke it

You might become the late.

 

Look at the words again

And the single difference note,

The removal of the “r”

Is like “Murder She Wrote”.

 

That dastardly deed

Is often done by a friend,

Or, in fact, one that pretends

But is really a fiend.

 

Lord, teach me today

How to recognize a friend

So that I can tell the difference

Between a friend and a fiend.

 

 

The devil often appears

Like an angel of light

So that we won’t run away

On account of fright.

 

He is the fiend

That approaches like a friend

But he is not a friend

You will discover in the end.

 

One will fend for you

The other will offend,

One will be like a brother

The other will pretend.

 

 

They may look alike

But do not be deceived,

Look closely for the “r”

Or you may be aggrieved

 

Yes, they begin the same way

And they end alike

But a fiend is a terror

While a friend is a delight.

 

Stewart Russell © November 2019