Poetry Sunday – Middle Class Housewife

This then is your life
A fully fledged stay at home wife,
How comfy, how warm,
Central heating at the stretch of an arm.
How marvellous, how quick,
The washing’s done at the flick of a switch.
How understanding, how undemanding
This then is your life
A fully fledged stay at home wife,
How comfy, how warm,
Central heating at the stretch of an arm.
How marvellous, how quick,
The washing’s done at the flick of a switch.
How understanding, how undemanding
When the meal is cooked
Without hours of mixing and standing.
How lovely, how grand,
The cleaning’s done without a dirty hand.
No beds to make, only a duvet to shake.

I must do the shopping, Oh that’s nice,
The freezer has enough to feed us
At least another twice.
I must ring the grocer and have him bring round
All those heavy boxes
It is time I unwound
From chore after chore.
I wonder sometimes, as on my bed I lie,
How marvellous, what bliss
To know that modern man invented all this.
But why? was it also his intention
That I should create some new invention.

Well, I think I can,
It’s what every woman needs
When she has time to spare, it has flair
And a certain sophistication,
When friends call, just to mention,
‘Oh by the way, I’m also having an affair’.

Patricia Northall