Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ODE TO HOUSECLEANING, by LOUISE WILT SAYRE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ODE TO HOUSECLEANING, by                    
First Line: Housecleaning has begun for this springtime
Last Line: "the time for the cleaning to start."
Subject(s): Housekeeping


Housecleaning has begun for this springtime,
We're busy day and night,
Storing, discarding, and keeping
The things we've stored with a might.

We sort them over so carefully,
Keeping them year after year,
Lest once we ever discard them,
They'll be needed -- O, yes, my dear!

Ceilings and walls must be papered
And cleaned with our favorite brand --
Smoky City, Climax, or Cleveland --
Advertised the best in the land.

Clothespresses, drawers, and the woodwork,
Each must be cleaned in its turn;
Everything cleaned with a vengeance
From top to the bottom most stern.

Bad temper, broken nails, and picked stockings,
Hands made grimy with oil,
Husbands sedated, children berated
Must each play a part in the toil.

As we clean from the top of the ladder,
There's a prayer that we breathe in our heart,
"Dear God, thank Thee for only one springtime --
The time for the cleaning to start."





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