Poems (Coolidge)/Worth While

by Helen Elizabeth Coolidge

WORTH WHILE

"Is it worth while?" we wearied say,
At close of long and struggling day;
These duties that upon us press
All seem to end in nothingness.

Is it worth while, for others' sake,
This constant sacrifice to make?
They do not seem to love us more,
The world is selfish as before.

Is it worth while? Were this word all,
No wonder should its griefs appall;
Yet, oh! to win our Father's smile,
Our every effort is—worth while.