Godmother

Dorothy Parker 1893 (Long Branch) – 1967 (New York City)



The day that I was christened-
  It's a hundred years, and more!-
A hag came and listened
  At the white church door,
A-hearing her that bore me
  And all my kith and kin
Considerately, for me,
  Renouncing sin.
While some gave me corals,
  And some gave me gold,
And porringers, with morals
  Agreeably scrolled,
The hag stood, buckled
  In a dim gray cloak;
Stood there and chuckled,
  Spat, and spoke:
"There's few enough in life'll
  Be needing my help,
But I've got a trifle
  For your fine young whelp.
I give her sadness,
  And the gift of pain,
The new-moon madness,
  And the love of rain."
And little good to lave me
  In their holy silver bowl
After what she gave me-
  Rest her soul!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

39 sec read
185

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCDEFEAGHGHIJIJKLKLCICI
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 676
Words 129
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 28

Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. more…

All Dorothy Parker poems | Dorothy Parker Books

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