"Oh remember, remember . . . I urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God's kindness."

President Henry B. Eyring

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Voices From Empty Houses

I wrote this poem twenty years ago and I felt like sharing it this morning, with all the young, lonely, stay at home Moms out there! And, you might say with a little touch of nostalgia for a coming day. Can you have nostalgia for a future event?

Voices From Empty Houses

I somehow feel like a stranger here.
A visitor from another planet—
Or a time traveler . . .

I remember mother's soft cotton house dresses
And sturdy loafers with bobby socks.

The "Leave It To Beaver" days . . .
Of housewives sharing coffee
And the streets filled with childsong!

Now a lonely dog barks in echo,
As a stiff breeze clangs the chain,
Of an empty playground swing.

Distant traffic the only reminder
That people rushing away from the suburbs
will return,
To pick up empty garbage cans,
And unlock silent doors.
As I walk . . .
Flags, raised like sentinels on mailboxes demand,
"Who goes there?"

And voices from the empty houses,
Wearing linen suits with tinkling heels asking,
"And, what do you do?"

Incongruous isn't it?
A housewife in jeans,
And tennis shoes . . .

The voices
From the empty houses proclaiming—
Times have changed.

Echoing other voices from empty houses
Like Bolsheviks and Marxists,
Who changed times, for a season.

I see the faces of little girls in day care centers,
Behind their Berlin Walls—
Crooning to their dolls . . .

Of soft cotton dresses,
And sturdy loafers with bobby socks.
Housewives sharing coffee,

And streets filled with childsong!

© Bonnie Holt (1990)

2 comments:

  1. Wow...you have a way with words.

    I really like it!!!!

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  2. I love your thoughts and words.. So beautiful. Nothing quite as beautiful as yours, but it reminds me of some lyrics to a song from "Working," a musical I like:

    All I am is just a housewife
    Nothing special, nothing great
    What I do is kinda boring
    If you'd rather, it can wait
    All I am is someone's mother
    All I am is someone's wife
    All of which seems unimportant
    All it is is
    Just my life

    Do the laundry, wash the dishes
    Take the dog out, clean the house
    Shop for groceries, look for specials
    Gosh it sounds so, Mickey Mouse
    Drop the kids off, pick the shirts up
    Try to lose weight, try again
    Keep the troops fed, pick their things up
    Lose your patience, count to ten

    All I am is just a housewife
    Just a housewife, nothing great
    What I do is "out of fashion"
    What I feel is out of date
    All I am is someone's mother
    Right away I'm not too bright
    What I do is unfulfulling
    So the T.V. talk-shows tell me every night

    I don't mean to complain at all
    But they make you feel like you're two feet tall
    When you're just a wife
    You're a "whiz" if you go to work
    But you're just a jerk if you say you won't

    People say that they think it's fine
    If the choice is mine
    But you know they don't
    What I do, what I choose to do
    May be dumb to you
    But it's not to me
    Is it dumb that they need me there?
    Is it dumb to care?
    Cause I do, you see
    And I mean, Did you ever think,
    Really stop and think
    What a job it was-
    Doing all the things
    That a housewife does?

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