Poems by Judith Viorst

All Poems Original Poems Translations

The Honeymoon Is Over

The honeymoon is over

And he has left for work

Whistling something obvious from La Boheme

And carrying a brown calfskin attache case

I never dreamed he was capable of owning,

Having started the day

With ten pushups and a cold shower

Followed by hearty breakfast.

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Judith Viorst

The Pleasures of Ordinary Life

I've had my share of necessary losses,

Of dreams I know no longer can come true.

I'm done now with the whys and the becauses.

It's time to make things good, not just make do.

It's time to stop complaining and pursue

The pleasures of an ordinary life.

I used to rail against my compromises.

I yearned for the wild music, the swift race.

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Judith Viorst

Remembrance of Christmas Past

They let the children out of school too early.

I left the Christmas shopping till too late.

Each day we had a holiday excursion,

Which gave us the entire week to wait in line for

Movies by Disney,

Gift-wrapping by Lord & Taylor,

And everyone's restrooms.

On Christmas Eve we started to assemble

138

Judith Viorst

Happiness (Reconsidered)

Happiness

Is a clean bill of health from the doctor,

And the kids shouldn't move back home for

more than a year,

And not being audited, overdrawn, in Wilkes-Barre,

in a lawsuit or in traction.

Happiness

Is falling asleep without Valium,

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Judith Viorst

True Love

It is true love because

I put on eyeliner and a concerto and make pungent observations about the great issues of the day

Even when there's no one here but him,

And because

I do not resent watching the Green Bay Packer

Even though I am philosophically opposed to football,

And because

When he is late for dinner and I know he must be either having an affair or lying dead in the middle of the street,

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Judith Viorst

Anti-heroine

I'd planned to be Heathcliff's Cathy,

Lady Brett, Nicole or Dominique or Scarlett O'Hara.

I hadn't planned to be folding up the laundry

In uncombed hair and last night's smudged mascara,

An expert on buying Fritos, cleaning the cat box,

Finding lost sneakers, playing hide and seek.

And other things unknown to Heathcliff's

Cathy, Scarlett, Lady Brett, and Dominique.

137

Judith Viorst

If I Were In Charge of the World

If I were in charge of the world

I'd cancel oatmeal,

Monday mornings,

Allergy shots, and also Sara Steinberg.

If I were in charge of the world

There'd be brighter nights lights,

Healthier hamsters, and

160

Judith Viorst

Some Advice from a Mother to Her Married Son

The answer to do you love me isn't, I married you, didn't I?

Or, Can't we discuss this after the ballgame is through?

It isn't, Well that all depends on what you mean by 'love'.

Or even, Come to bed and I'll prove that I do.

The answer isn't, How can I talk about love when

the bacon is burned and the house is an absolute mess and

the children are screaming their heads off and

I'm going to miss my bus?

143

Judith Viorst

Learning

I'm learning to say thank you.

And I'm learning to say please.

And I'm learning to use Kleenex,

Not my sweater, when I sneeze.

And I'm learning not to dribble.

And I'm learning not to slurp.

And I'm learning (though it sometimes really hurts me)

Not to burp.

155

Judith Viorst

Three (O'clock) in the Morning

At three in the morning I used to be sleeping an untroubled

sleep in my bed.

But lately at three in the morning I'm tossing and turning,

Awakened by hypochondria, and gas, and nameless dread,

Whose name I've been learning. (worry)

At three in the morning I brood about what my cholesterol

count might reveal,

And the pains in my chest start progressing from gentle to racking,

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Judith Viorst

Thank-you Note

I wanted small pierced earrings (gold).

You gave me slippers (gray).

My mother said that she would scold

Unless I wrote to say

How much I liked them.

Not much.

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Judith Viorst