A Prayer for Womanhood
God, give each true good woman
Her own small house to keep
No heart should ache with longing
No hurt should go too deep
Grant her age-old desire
A house to love and sweep
Give her a man beside her
A kind man, and a true
And let them work together
And love, a lifetime through
And let her mother children
As gentle women do
Give her a shelf for dishes
And a shining box for bread
A white cloth for her table
And a white spread for her bed
A shaded lamp at nightfall
And a row of books much read
God, let her work with laughter
And let her rest with sleep
No life can truly offer
A peace more sure and deep
God, give each true woman
Her own small house to keep
~Grace Noll Crowell
