Sick — Summary

Dave BontaCheerful

This morning, a whore; this afternoon, music. I was sick in the evening. At night, while my lord was at supper, I went to bed, to bed, to bed.

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The speaker moves through a single day in four short, flat statements, and the day seems to wear them down. Morning brings "a whore," afternoon brings music, and by evening the speaker is sick. The poem never says what the sickness is. It could be physical illness, disgust at what the day held, or a kind of weariness with the life described. The reader has to decide.

The mention of "my lord" suggests the speaker serves someone, perhaps as a servant or attendant, though the poem gives no details. While the lord eats supper, the speaker slips away to bed. The repeated "to bed, to bed, to bed" is the most striking moment. It sounds like relief, like a tired person talking themselves toward rest, and it also has a childlike, almost nursery-rhyme rhythm.

The mood is quiet and worn out. The plain, clipped sentences hold back any explanation, which makes the speaker's exhaustion and wish to escape feel more real.

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