Once Again Poem by jodi glass

Once Again

Rating: 5.0


the house was built in 1850, seven fireplaces
10 servants and four members of the Joneses
on the cold windy october day
no holes in the roof or trees
destroying the east side
on a even windier day

There was rooms galore, green baize doors
just for us servants
we knew our place, we didn't want to get higher
overwhelming at first, with bedraggled
walls, because it was just us

the pantry was old Tom's responsibility
wine, sugar, salt and tea
only he could give it out
and mrs sue, the cook, gave us
jobs to do if we dawdled past

clean the aga! ,
isn't it wash day today?
hurry up and clean the pots,
the queens cousin is
due tonight, whilst hoping
i got to bed before midnight was a regular thing

the Joneses never met me, i wasn't
a butler or a footmen
i had to clean before they got up
and hide behind the baize door
if i heard them

living there 365 days of the year, gave me the family i was never given
i turned 12 in 1850 and the poor house got me this job
the job where i met Lottie the kitchen assistant
and philip the gardeners assistant, siblings they became
and old Tom became like a dad
mrs Sue was just scary

and now its 1925, i still mourn the day
they moved away, wanted the factories
but not the smog
at 87 i will not see the blitz blow the house away like a sandcastle

but tonight i am going to dream of 1850 and the family i will once again meet
'lottie, where is Philip? mrs jones wants a bouquet for dinner'
back to being an general maid happily once again

Friday, April 17, 2015
Topic(s) of this poem: family,history
POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
a fictional story on the many nameless people who worked downstairs, with a few facts i remember from book. i deliberately kept a nameless person. i like to think i had a relative in service. this is fiction and i don't know what they felt. i just wanted it to link with the poor house connections
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Chinedu Dike 18 September 2020

Well conceived and nicely brought forth with clarity of thought and mind. I liked the visionary impact of flow of your words. A beautiful creation piece of poetry.

0 0 Reply
Anil Kumar Panda 19 June 2015

Very enjoyable reading.Thanks for sharing.

1 0 Reply
Kelly Kurt 17 April 2015

Beautiful. I enjoyed reading

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