To The Indifferent Women

BY CHARLOTTE ANNA PERKINS GILMAN

Listen to:
Recording by Stella Hajnasiewicz

A Sestina

You who are happy in a thousand homes, 

Or overworked therein, to a dumb peace; 

Whose souls are wholly centered in the life 

Of that small group you personally love; 

Who told you that you need not know or care 

About the sin and sorrow of the world? 

Do you believe the sorrow of the world 

Does not concern you in your little homes? — 

That you are licensed to avoid the care 

And toil for human progress, human peace, 

And the enlargement of our power of love 

Until it covers every field of life? 

The one first duty of all human life 

Is to promote the progress of the world 

In righteousness, in wisdom, truth and love; 

And you ignore it, hidden in your homes, 

Content to keep them in uncertain peace, 

Content to leave all else without your care. 

Yet you are mothers! And a mother's care 

Is the first step toward friendly human life. 

Life where all nations in untroubled peace 

Unite to raise the standard of the world 

And make the happiness we seek in homes 

Spread everywhere in strong and fruitful love. 

You are content to keep that mighty love 

In its first steps forever; the crude care 

Of animals for mate and young and homes, 

Instead of pouring it abroad in life, 

Its mighty current feeding all the world 

Till every human child can grow in peace. 

You cannot keep your small domestic peace 

Your little pool of undeveloped love, 

While the neglected, starved, unmothered world 

Struggles and fights for lack of mother's care, 

And its tempestuous, bitter, broken life 

Beats in upon you in your selfish homes. 

We all may have our homes in joy and peace 

When woman's life, in its rich power of love 

Is joined with man's to care for all the world.