Bittersweet

I saw this poem on me friend, Jennifer's blog, and I loved it! She attributed it to Ruth Hulburt Hamilton.

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 RooLook!
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.