Classic and Contemporary Poetry
JAMIE'S PUZZLE, by FRANCES ELLEN WATKINS HARPER Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: There was grief within our household Last Line: Their meaning will all be plain. Subject(s): Mothers; Solitude; Loneliness | ||||||||
There was grief within our household Because of a vacant chair. Our mother, so loved and precious, No longer was sitting there. Our hearts grew heavy with sorrow, Our eyes with tears were blind, And little Jamie was wondering, Why we were left behind. We had told our little darling, Of the land of love and light, Of the saints all crowned with glory, And enrobed in spotless white. We said that our precious mother, Had gone to that land so fair, To dwell with beautiful angels, And to be forever there. But the child was sorely puzzled, Why dear grandmamma should go To dwell in a stranger city, When her children loved her so. But again the mystic angel Came with swift and silent tread, And our sister, Jamie's mother, Was enrolled among the dead. To us the mystery deepened, To Jamie it seemed more clear; Grandma, he said, must be lonesome, And mamma has gone to her. But the question lies unanswered In our little Jamie's mind, Why she should go to our mother, And leave her children behind; To dwell in that lovely city, From all that was dear to part, From children who loved to nestle So closely around her heart. Dear child, like you, we are puzzled, With problems that still remain; But think in the great hereafter Their meaning will all be plain. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...IN ABEYANCE by DENISE LEVERTOV IN A VACANT HOUSE by PHILIP LEVINE SUNDAY ALONE IN A FIFTH FLOOR APARTMENT, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS by WILLIAM MATTHEWS SILENCE LIKE COOL SAND by PAT MORA THE HONEY BEAR by EILEEN MYLES A DOUBLE STANDARD by FRANCES ELLEN WATKINS HARPER AN APPEAL TO MY COUNTRYWOMEN by FRANCES ELLEN WATKINS HARPER |
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