Sunday, March 01, 2009

Just in time for Wiebe #5

Song for a Fifth Child.

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.
The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

4 comments:

Darci said...

That was beautiful! So no baby born on my anniversary?

Anonymous said...

I just read that too - and LOVEd it.

J.G. said...

That is the happiest and saddest song Ive heard lately. So perfectly true. Nothing a first time mom could comprehend. Us seasoned mommies know this all too well though.

Lisa said...

Such a lovely poem! It makes me so teary eyed.