Over The Hill To The Poor-house. Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Over the hill to the poor house I'm trudgin' my weary way	A
	-
	-
I a woman of seventy and only a trifle gray	A
I who am smart an' chipper for all the years I've told	B
As many another woman that's only half as old	B
	-
Over the hill to the poor house I can't quite make it clear	C
Over the hill to the poor house it seems so horrid queer	C
Many a step I've taken a toilin' to and fro	D
But this is a sort of journey I never thought to go	D
	-
What is the use of heapin' on me a pauper's shame	E
Am I lazy or crazy am I blind or lame	E
True I am not so supple nor yet so awful stout	F
But charity ain't no favor if one can live without	F
	-
I am willin' and anxious an' ready any day	A
To work for a decent livin' an' pay my honest way	A
For I can earn my victuals an' more too I'll be bound	G
If any body only is willin' to have me round	G
	-
Once I was young an' han'some I was upon my soul	H
Once my cheeks was roses my eyes as black as coal	H
And I can't remember in them days of hearin' people say	A
For any kind of a reason that I was in their way	A
	-
'Tain't no use of boastin' or talkin' over free	I
But many a house an' home was open then to me	I
Many a han'some offer I had from likely men	J
And nobody ever hinted that I was a burden then	J
	-
And when to John I was married sure he was good and smart	K
But he and all the neighbors would own I done my part	K
For life was all before me an' I was young an' strong	L
And I worked the best that I could in tryin' to get along	L
	-
And so we worked together and life was hard but gay	A
With now and then a baby for to cheer us on our way	A
Till we had half a dozen an' all growed clean an' neat	M
An' went to school like others an' had enough to eat	M
	-
So we worked for the child'rn and raised 'em every one	N
Worked for 'em summer and winter just as we ought to 've done	N
Only perhaps we humored 'em which some good folks condemn	O
But every couple's child'rn's a heap the best to them	O
	-
Strange how much we think of our blessed little ones	P
I'd have died for my daughters I'd have died for my sons	P
And God he made that rule of love but when we're old and gray	A
I've noticed it sometimes somehow fails to work the other way	A
	-
Strange another thing when our boys an' girls was grown	Q
And when exceptin' Charley they'd left us there alone	Q
When John he nearer an' nearer come an' dearer seemed to be	I
The Lord of Hosts he come one day an' took him away from me	I
	-
Still I was bound to struggle an' never to cringe or fall	R
Still I worked for Charley for Charley was now my all	R
And Charley was pretty good to me with scarce a word or frown	S
Till at last he went a courtin' and brought a wife from town	S
	-
	-
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She was somewhat dressy an' hadn't a pleasant smile	T
She was quite conceity and carried a heap o' style	T
But if ever I tried to be friends I did with her I know	D
But she was hard and proud an' I couldn't make it go	D
	-
She had an edication an' that was good for her	U
But when she twitted me on mine 'twas carryin' things too far	V
An' I told her once 'fore company an' it almost made her sick	W
That I never swallowed a grammar or 'et a 'rithmetic	W
	-
So 'twas only a few days before the thing was done	N
They was a family of themselves and I another one	N
And a very little cottage one family will do	X
But I never have seen a house that was big enough for two	X
	-
An' I never could speak to suit her never could please her eye	Y
An' it made me independent an' then I didn't try	Y
But I was terribly staggered an' felt it like a blow	D
When Charley turned ag'in me an' told me I could go	D
	-
I went to live with Susan but Susan's house was small	R
And she was always a hintin' how snug it was for us all	R
And what with her husband's sisters and what with child'rn three	I
'Twas easy to discover that there wasn't room for me	I
	-
An' then I went to Thomas the oldest son I've got	Z
For Thomas's buildings 'd cover the half of an acre lot	Z
But all the child'rn was on me I couldn't stand their sauce	A2
And Thomas said I needn't think I was comin' there to boss	B2
	-
An' then I wrote to Rebecca my girl who lives out West	C2
And to Isaac not far from her some twenty miles at best	C2
And one of 'em said 'twas too warm there for any one so old	B
And t'other had an opinion the climate was too cold	B
	-
So they have shirked and slighted me an' shifted me about	F
So they have well nigh soured me an' wore my old heart out	F
But still I've borne up pretty well an' wasn't much put down	S
Till Charley went to the poor master an' put me on the town	S
	-
Over the hill to the poor house my child'rn dear good by	Y
Many a night I've watched you when only God was nigh	Y
	-
	-
And God 'll judge between us but I will al'ays pray	A
That you shall never suffer the half I do to day	A

William Mckendree Carleton

Over The Hill To The Poor-house. Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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