Poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Then Cautiously She Pushed

Then cautiously she pushed the cellar door
And stepped into the kitchen--saw the track
Of muddy rubber boots across the floor,
The many paper parcels in a stack
Upon the dresser; with accustomed care
Removed the twine and put the wrappings by,
Folded, and the bags flat, that with an air
Of ease had been whipped open skillfully,
To the gape of children. Treacherously dear
And simple was the dull, familiar task.
And so it was she came at length to ask:
How came the soda there? The sugar here?
Then the dream broke. Silent, she brought the mop,
And forced the trade-slip on the nail that held his
   razor strop.

1. One Way There Was
2. She Let Them Leave Their Jellies
3. Not Over-Kind nor Over-Quick
4. The Wagon Stopped before the House
5. I Shall Go Back Again

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