TONIC by BERTON BRALEY

I'm the mother of three, and I'm Thirty,
And a Good Little Wife in the home,
And I've never been known to be flirty
When out on the highways I roam;
But, nevertheless, I must add, I
Find life is a trifle more sweet
When the men-folks still give me the glad eye
As I pass on my way down the street.

If I were addressed or molested
I know how enraged I would be.
I'd have the offender arrested
For making advances to me.
But, though I'd be terribly mad, I
Would know I was not quite passé,
Since @3Somebody@1 gave me the glad eye
And made me feel peppy and gay!

I think that the mashers are awful
—A nuisance beyond any doubt—
It should be entirely unlawful
For creatures like that to be out;
But when with a weary and sad eye
I gaze in the mirror, forsooth,
And then a man gives me the glad eye,
I feel I've recovered my Youth!

When, worn with devotion to duty
And feeling a hundred or more,
I hear a man say, "Oh, you Cutie,"
Of course it's a thing I deplore;
But I do not exactly feel bad, I
Remark to myself, "Well, you bet
While @3Somebody@1 gives me the glad eye
There's life in the old lady yet!"

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

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