 | The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley |  |
1340
HIS MOTHER
Dead! my wayward boy—my own—
Not the Law's! but mine—the good
God's free gift to me alone,
Sanctified by motherhood.
Not the Law's! but mine—the good
God's free gift to me alone,
Sanctified by motherhood.
“Bad,” you say: Well, who is not?
“Brutal”—“with a heart of stone”—
And “red-handed.”—Ah! the hot
Blood upon your own!
“Brutal”—“with a heart of stone”—
And “red-handed.”—Ah! the hot
Blood upon your own!
I come not, with downward eyes,
To plead for him shamedly,—
God did not apologize
When he gave the boy to me.
To plead for him shamedly,—
God did not apologize
When he gave the boy to me.
Simply, I make ready now
For His verdict.—You prepare—
You have killed us both—and how
Will you face us There?
For His verdict.—You prepare—
You have killed us both—and how
Will you face us There?
| The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley | |