And those who do their washing in a stream Are doubtless near relations of the ones Who do their scrubbing in a sink or clean The grime of cities in a tub. The stones The outdoor women use to hold the field Of white from flying off without a sound Are possibly like those the earth must yield To keep the corners of the sea aground: In either case, the figures of the bent Resemble semi-circles of the moon; Their toes and hump and fingers curve assent, The while they cradle clothes in water, croon A sort of lullaby above the soil That men who labour gather while they toil. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THREE SPRING NOTATIONS ON BIPEDS by CARL SANDBURG THE TRANSIENCE OF HANDS by KAREN SWENSON THE WISE WOMAN by LOUIS UNTERMEYER ACCOUNTABILITY by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR LET THE LIGHT ENTER (THE DYING WORDS OF GOETHE) by FRANCES ELLEN WATKINS HARPER ON THE DEATH OF DR. ROBERT LEVET, A PRACTISER IN PHYSIC by SAMUEL JOHNSON (1709-1784) |