Context:

Sarah Reid discusses this poem at length as a deeply touching example of how women prepared for the possibility of death in childbirth. Published in the 1650s, the poem is addressed to Bradstreet's husband, asking him to care for their existing children and not let them come to harm from a potential stepmother. Reid says she teaches it every year and cannot get through it without tearing up. While a single poem rather than a standalone book, Bradstreet's collected poetry is widely available and this poem alone makes a compelling case for reading her work.