Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, MOTHERHOOD, by RUTH KAUFFMAN


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

MOTHERHOOD, by                    
First Line: O god, I know his sins are red
Last Line: Exact it, o my god, from me!
Subject(s): Mothers


O GOD, I know his sins are red,
That it were better he were dead;
But was't not thou, O Lord, hast said
Out of thy master mercy: "Though
Thy sins be scarlet," Lord, I know--
"They shall be made as white as snow"?

Then hear me--hear! For, oh, I pray
Through all the night and all the day
Since ever that he went away--
Pray as I seek him in the street
Amid the myriad tramping feet
Down such rough roads, and even ask
Thy favor at the household task;
Yes, pray upon my weary bed
Until the gray of dawn glows red;
Though none may guess! O Mighty One,
Father, deal gently with my son!

I know the Law thyself didst say,
For every sin some soul must pay--
But I recald his clinging hands,
His tender mouth, his big eyes wet
With tears, it seemed, from heavenly lands:
O Lord, he is my baby yet!
So, if a payment there must be
For one so sweet and weak as he,
Exact it, O my God, from me!






Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net