Polly Dibbs [poem by C. J. Dennis]

[Editor: This poem by C. J. Dennis was published in A Book for Kids, 1921.]

Polly Dibbs

Mrs. Dibbs — Polly Dibbs,
Standing at a tub,
Washing other people’s clothes —
Rub — Rub — Rub.
Poor, old, skinny arms
White with soapy foam —
At night she takes her shabby hat
And goes off home.

Mrs. Dibbs — Polly Dibbs —
Is not very rich.
She goes abroad all day to scrub,
And home at night to stitch.
She wears her shabby hat awry,
Perched on a silly comb;
And people laugh at Polly Dibbs
As she goes home.

Mrs. Dibbs — Mother Dibbs —
Growing very old,
Says, “it’s a hard world!”
And sniffs and drats the cold.
She says it is a cruel world,
A weary world to roam.
But God will smile on Polly Dibbs
When she goes Home.

Source:
C. J. Dennis. A Book for Kids, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, [1921], pages 113-114