A little girl is dressed up by her father, who pins a rose on her and takes her to visit Miss Kate-Marie. The visit turns out to be Sunday school, but the child hardly minds. She is charmed by the teacher’s yellow lace hat, her soft thin dress, and especially the way her tongue wriggles in and out as she talks. The girl enjoys the smell of her rose and the feel of the silky dress more than the lesson itself. Miss Kate-Marie is calm and kind, never fussing or frowning, even when asking questions about God. The poem gives a child’s-eye view of a Sunday morning: warm, sensory, and quietly happy, where small physical details matter more than the grown-up purpose of the outing.
Miss Kate-Marie — Summary
And it was Sunday everywhere, And Father pinned a rose on me And said he guessed he'd better take Me down to see Miss Kate-Marie.
And when I went it all turned out To be a Sunday school, and there Miss Kate-Marie was very good And let me stand beside her chair.
Her hat was made of yellow lace; Her dress was very soft and thin, And when she talked her little tongue Was always wriggling out and in.
I liked to smell my pretty rose; I liked to feel her silky dress. She held a very little book And asked the things for us to guess.
She asked about Who-made-y-God, And never seemed to fuss or frown; I liked to watch her little tongue And see it wriggle up and down.