The Armful

For every parcel I stoop down to seize I lose some other off my arms and knees, And the whole pile is slipping, bottles, buns -- Extremes too hard to comprehend at once, Yet nothing I should care to leave behind. With all I have to hold with hand and mind And heart, if need be, I will do my best To keep their building balanced at my breast. I crouch down to prevent them as they fall; Then sit down in the middle of them all. I had to drop the armful in the road And try to stack them in a better load.