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Poems

Chapter 54: OPPOSITES
By Katherine Mansfield
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Poetry

About This Book

A lyrical collection of short poems grouped by creative periods, ranging from intimate sketches of domestic and childhood moments to meditations on nature, the sea, love, loss, and memory. Many pieces blend concise, imagistic language with prose-like rhythms, alternating playful child verses and delicate elegies, and often evoke sensory detail—light, wind, flowers, and seaside landscapes—to explore fleeting moods and inward reflection. Several poems record quiet domestic scenes and grieving recollections, while others experiment with voice and form, producing both whimsical and mournful tones. The result is an intimate, varied sequence that emphasizes emotion, perception, and the small gestures that shape inner life.

OPPOSITES

The Half-Soled-Boots-With-Toecaps-Child
 Walked out into the street
 And splashed in all the puddles till
 She had such shocking feet.
The Patent-Leather-Slipper-Child
 Stayed quietly in the house
 And sat upon the fender stool
 As still as any mouse.
The Half-Soled-Boots-With-Toecaps-Child,
 Her hands were black as ink;
 She would come running through the house
 And begging for a drink.
The Patent-Leather-Slipper-Child,
 Her hands were white as snow;
 She did not like to play around,
 She only liked to sew.
The Half-Soled-Boots-With-Toecaps-Child
 Lost hair ribbons galore;
 She dropped them on the garden walks,
 She dropped them on the floor.
The Patent-Leather-Slipper-Child,
 O thoughtful little girl!
 She liked to walk quite soberly,
 It kept her hair in curl.
The Half-Soled-Boots-With-Toecaps-Child
 When she was glad or proud
 Just flung her arms round Mother’s neck
 And kissed her very loud.
The Patent-Leather-Slipper-Child
 Was shocked at such a sight,
 She only offered you her cheek
 At morning and at night.
O Half-Soled-Boots-With-Toecaps-Child,
 Your happy laughing face
 Does like a scented Summer rose
 Make sweet the dullest place.
O Patent-Leather-Slipper-Child,
 My dear, I’m well content,
 To have my daughter in my arms,
 And not an ornament.