No Air Conditioning For This Family of Ten

The shabby hotel rooms were dank and dour An indigent family blinked in the dark Too dull to see much at this wake-up hour The man of the family has such a bark. A new baby! How marvelous! An unthinking person said. But a new child in this family was just another to be fed We don’t need another mouth, mama unkindly thought The others seven children knew to do what they ought In these rooms, seven children tried their best to please They welcomed the tiniest bit of a summer breeze No air conditioning for this family of ten. Every day was a day of labor, once and again. They did their share, and they kept the baby clean. He was a sweet boy, but enthusiasm did pale. They had not needed another; it might sound mean. But this baby was an extra to feed and had such a wail!