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Sunday, April 22, 2007

NaPoWriMo #20

What She Left Behind

Elizabeth Robertson 1674

Item: ane oak standing bed
but no man to share it with her,
grandsons, but no sons
Item: ane old plough
and the plough graithe,
a horse to pull it
a mare to ride.
Item: four kine
Item: eight bolls of corne,
one boll of bere,
three firlots of wheat
sufficient for the winter,
and to plant for the next.
Item: the utensils and domicils
of her household and body
Item: three fir kists,
to store the above.
Having gathered these goods,
she recommends her soul
to the Lord almightie
hoping and trusting to be saved,
and passes from life with a small sigh
having walked lightly on the earth
and lightly left it.

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For the prompt "ten items or less" at Poetry Thursday

Elizabeth Robertson was my ancestor.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW, that is excellent! Thanks also for the poetry book recommendations, I ended up getting one of them for Pip for her birthday and we sat around reading aloud to each other. Great fun!

Anonymous said...

I didn't see the title on this one the last time I read it. I like that she has a name and we can set her in a particular moment in time.