Page 35 - Poetry-Family

And I’ll whisper it—right-into-your-ears—
I too love mamma,
Little mamma!

— Charles Henry Webb (Century Magazine, 1888)

Before the Baby Came

(Aggrieved Husband.)
There was a time when my discourse
Was wrenched not out of joint;
I did not shout till I was hoarse,
And point out every point;

Nor thrice the same joke try to tell,
And mangle it and maim—
My wife had time to listen well,
Before the baby came!

There was a time when here and there
I flitted like a bird;
My wife went with me everywhere,
Just when I said the word:

We saw the boat-race and the play,
We watched the base-ball game—
We had a free foot, as they say,
Before the baby came!

There was a time when I alone
Was by my wife adored;
I sat on the domestic throne,
The sole and sovereign lord.

My crown is gone. Without a thank,
He takes my very name—
I’ve not a vestige of my rank
Before the baby came!

— Fannie Windsor (Century Magazine, 1890)

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