Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE KNITTING, by MARGARET BARBER


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE KNITTING, by                    
First Line: What will it be when I am done?' she said
Last Line: "I should go mad more quickly; so I knit."
Subject(s): Duty


"What will it be when I am done?" she said,
"A self-compounded morphine of the soul;
A sedative administered by self
For want of any other to prescribe.
The stitches small? Yes, you may find them so,
And even; as the restless work of hands
Which find no meaning in the task they do
Sometimes may be. Having no larger goal,
They seek to do a small thing perfectly;
Hoping some miracle may make it seem
Important to themselves.
Were I to watch this window, here, and sit,
I should go mad more quickly; so I knit."





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