Reverend Wiley advised me not to divorce him
For the sake of the children,
And Judge Somers advised him the same.
So we stuck to the end of the path.
But two of the children thought he was right,
And two of the children thought I was right.
And the two who sided with him blamed me,
And the two who sided with me blamed him,
And they grieved for the one they sided with.
And all were torn with the guilt of judging,
And tortured in soul because they could not admire
Equally him and me.
Now every gardener knows that plants grown in cellars
Or under stones are twisted and yellow and weak.
And no mother would let her baby suck
Diseased milk from her breast.
Yet preachers and judges advise the raising of souls
Where there is no sunlight, but only twilight,
No warmth, but only dampness and cold —
Preachers and judges!
Mrs. Charles Bliss
Analysis, meaning and summary of Edgar Lee Masters's poem Mrs. Charles Bliss
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That last idiot has no idea what he’s talking about. This poem tells us how the preachers messed up the children more than the divorce. It’s simple really. The poems deeper meaning relates to the meaning of life and how we shouldn’t look towards others to find it, but search within ourselves. What a simpleton. He must be amish.