| Harriet Monroe, ed. (1860–1936). Poetry: A Magazine of Verse. 1912–22. | | | | Sugar Mice | | By Carolyn Hillman |
| | From “Two Christmas Poems”
THE COCK crows clear | |
| On Christmas morn. | |
| “Oooo-oo-oo-oo!” | |
| To-day a child | |
| Lies in the manger, | 5 |
| Where the brown ox | |
| Lies too. | |
| “Oooo-oo-oo-oo!” | |
| “Come and see him— | |
| A beggar woman | 10 |
| Bore him last night.” | |
| “Worthless brazen hussy!— | |
| Put her out of my barn!” | |
| Said Grandam; | |
| “Send her to the poor house.” | 15 |
| “Could you not keep her | |
| One day?” I asked. | |
| “No indeed!” she said; | |
| “This is Christmas, | |
| When I must serve my black pudding, | 20 |
| Burning in brandy, | |
| And when thou | |
| Shalt see thy little tree, | |
| Sparkling with candles, | |
| And hung with gay sugar mice.” | 25 |
| “But grandam, | |
| Was not the Christ-child | |
| Born in a manger too?” | |
| “That was a different matter,” | |
| She said. | 30 |
| The cock crowed | |
| Three times, | |
| Loud and clear. | |
| “Oooo-oo-oo-oo!” | |
| “Bastard brat | 35 |
| In our barn!” | |
| “Oooo-oo-oo-oo!” | |
| Different! Different! Different! | |
| But I slipped out to see him | |
| And take him a sugar mouse; | 40 |
| And all about his head | |
| Was a golden glory! | | | | |
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