Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE HOUSEWIFE'S LAMENT, by ELOISE STORY


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE HOUSEWIFE'S LAMENT, by            
First Line: From morning till night and all through the day
Last Line: Is heard in service, whether great or small.
Subject(s): Housekeeping


From morning till night and all through the day
I work and I worry without any pay.
There's washing and ironing and scrubbing to do --
O dear! it seems I'll never get through.
There's sweeping and dusting and beds to be made,
And never a soul to lend any aid.
The cake and the pies and the bread to bake,
Leave me no time for some pleasure to take.
The socks must be darned, the chickens be fed,
The dishes be washed ere I go to my bed,
And when I would drown all my troubles in sleep
There's naught I can do but lie there and weep --
And think of the things I would like to do
But never get time and never get through.
For the wonderful books and the magazines, too,
The moments for reading are all too few.
Methinks I would leave all the dust and the grime --
On a journey I'd go to a far distant clime --
Where I'd have nothing to do but just live at ease
And bask in the sun and the cool ocean breeze,
Forgetting the toils of a weary housewife --
The worry and work of everyday life.
It may be the tasks I seem so to hate
Would then appear not nearly so great;
And I would hasten to begin over once more
The homely duties just as before.
For we only need a little more time
To brush the cobwebs off our mind.
It matters not what we eat or wear,
Just so long as there is love to share.
And I opine that the homey things
A greater joy and more pleasure bring.
So whether we work or whether we play,
We must meet each duty day by day.
And the small, still voice that speaks to all
Is heard in service, whether great or small.





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