Page:The cry for justice - an anthology of the literature of social protest. - (IA cryforjusticea00sinc).pdf/69

 "Work—work—work! From weary chime to chime! Work—work—work  As prisoners work for crime! Band, and gusset, and seam,  Seam, and gusset, and band, Till the heart is sick and the brain benumbed,  As well as the weary hand.

"Work—work—work In the dull December light! And work—work—work  When the weather is warm and bright! While underneath the eaves  The brooding swallows cling, As if to show me their sunny backs  And twit me with the Spring.

"O! but to breathe the breath Of the cowslip and primrose sweet— With the sky above my head,  And the grass beneath my feet! For only one short hour  To feel as I used to feel, Before I knew the woes of want,  And the walk that costs a meal!

"O! but for one short hour— A respite however brief! No blessed leisure for Love or Hope,  But only time for Grief! A little weeping would ease my heart;  But in their briny bed My tears must stop, for every drop  Hinders needle and thread!"