I've been feeling a little sad for the last few days; today I figured out why....it's my empty nest.
Lea from Lea and Her Mustangs reminded me of this poem yesterday. I wish I had read it more often while I was raising my six children.
Song for a Fifth Child
by- Ruth Hulburt Hamilton
Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby 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 her eyes the most wonderful hue?(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For 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.
8 comments:
Sweet poem. I've never heard it before, but maybe it's because I'm not a Mom. Thanks for sharing it. Have a great weekend.
Cindy
Cindy- Thanks for dropping by today. I guess I'm just a little sad that my babies have all grown up.
Oh, sympathies Barbara. My nest is empty too and it hurts. It hurts especially at Christmas and Easter and yesterday and today and I know the same will be true tomorrow. It isn't that we have nothing to do, is it. It's just that we long to be part of what we had before. Lovely poem. Blessings, Star
Star- You said it all so perfectly.
What a beautiful poem. Even though I've never had any children of my own, I've always considered my baby sister to almost be like my own child and to see her so grown up and almost ready to make her way out in the world, makes me a bit sad for the little girl who still needed her big sister.
Literary Nut- I completely agree with what you said. Sometimes siblings can have that special "mother love" too.
Oh Barbara, I love that poem. Had it framed on one of the kids wall. Someone gave it to me when we had baby 4. Well, Had 6 children too but lost our little girl when she was 5 days so raised 5. When I would rock and snuggle with the little ones I would think about that. I miss those days too.
Lea- The poem is truly precious. Thank you for calling it to my attention.
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