Poems (Kimball)/Nothing to do

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4472511Poems — Nothing to doHarriet McEwen Kimball
NOTHING TO DO.
A STRIP of snowiest linen
Half broidered and stamped in blue,
And the gleam of a threadless needle
Piercing the pattern through:
The needle is ready, yet the sweet little lady
Sits sighing for something to do.

Heaped on the table beside her
Blossoms of every hue;
Delicate, odorous roses—
The rarest that ever grew:
The vase stands ready while the sweet little lady
Sits wishing for something to do.

Half hid under flowers a volume
In daintiest gold and blue,
Just parted, as if it would open
At "The Miller's Daughter" for you:
The book lies ready, yet the sweet little lady
Sits sighing for something to do.

A silent harp in the corner,
And melodies old and new
Scattered in pretty disorder—
Songs of the false and the true:
The harp stands ready—still the sweet little lady
Sits longing for something to do.

A sudden wind-sweep and flutter—
The door wide open blew;
A step in the hall, and swiftly,
Like a bird, to the threshold she flew:
Blushing, already the sweet little lady
Forgets she has nothing to do!