The House Keeper's Tragedy

One day, as I wandered, I heard a complaining,

And saw a poor woman, the picture of gloom;

She glared at the mud on the door step ('twas raining),

And this was her wail as she wielded her broom:

"Oh! Life is a toil and love is a trouble,

And beauty will fade, and riches will flee,

And pleasures they dwindle and prices they double,

And nothing is what I would wish it to be.

"There's too much of worriment goes to a bonnet,

There's too much of ironing goes to a shirt;

There's nothing that pays for the time you waste on it,

there's nothing that lasts us but trouble and dirt.

"In March it is muddy, it's slush in December,

The midsummer breezes are loaded with dust,

In the Fall the leaves litter, in muggy September

The wall paper rots and the candlesticks rust.

"There are worms in the cherries, and slugs in the roses,

And ants in the sugar, and mice in the pies-

the rubbish of spiders no mortal supposes,

And ravaging roaches and damaging flies.

"It's sweeping at six and it's dusting at seven,

It's victuals at eight, and it's dishes and nine;

It's plotting and planning from ten to eleven;

We scarce break our fast ere we plan how to dine.

"With grease and with grime, from corner to center,

Forever at war and forever alert.

No rest for the day, lest the enemy enter-

To spend my whole life in a struggle with dirt.

"Last night in my dream I was stationed forever

On a little bare isle in the midst of the sea;

My one chance of life was a ceaseless endeavor

To sweep of the waves ere they swept off poor me.

"Alas! 'Twas no dream, again I beheld it!

I yield, I am helpless my fate to avert."

She rolled down her sleeves, her apron she folded,

then laid down and died, and was buried in dirt!

- Author Unknown.

REJOICE!!! - Look at the good in life, not the bad, or you might end up like this poor Lady!

Share:facebook - twitter - pinterest

The House Keeper's Tragedy