I knew that a baby was hid in that house,
Though I saw no cradle and heard no cry;
But the husband was tip-toeing 'round like a mouse,
And the good wife was humming a soft lullaby;
And there was a look on the face of the mother,
That I knew could mean only one thing, and no other.
The mother, I said to myself, for I knew
That the woman before me was certainly that;
And there lay in a corner a tiny cloth shoe,
And I saw on a stand such a wee little hat;
And the beard of the husband said, plain as could be,
'Two fat chubby hands have been tugging at me.'
And he took from his pocket a gay picture-book,
And a dog that could bark, if you pulled on a string;
And the wife laid them up with such a pleased look;
And I said to myself, 'There is no other thing
But a babe that could bring about all this, and so
That one thing is in hiding somewhere, I know.'
I stayed but a moment, and saw nothing more,
And heard not a sound, yet I know I was right;
What else could the shoe mean that lay on the floor,
The book and the toy, and the faces so bright;
And what made the husband as still as a mouse?
I am sure, very sure, there's a babe in that house.
One could argue that there is a large slice of voyeurism and a hint of darkness mingled between the gifted poetess's lines. I guess everyone sees something different and how they interpret things.
Is this a poem about a nosy neighbour or something deeper and much darker.
A beautiful melody full of rhyme and rhythm and quite interesting story. A pleasure to read.
A wonderful investigative poem about a baby hidden in the house and the tale tell marks that expose it's presence in the house. A pleasure to read.
Very well written and interesting poem. rhyming and flow are simply amazing. Enjoyed a lot. Thanks for sharing.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Very well written poem. Babies change houses. They reorganize every person's activity in the house.