Saturday's Child Summary

The poem starts with the speaker comparing the circumstances of his birth to that of rich, white children. He says that this child teethed on a silver spoon, while he cut his teeth like a black raccoon, preparing for battle. He adds that these children were swaddled in silk, while he was wrapped in a sack. He says that while some children had fairy godparents, he only had pain and poverty. He recalls that his father said he was born on an unlucky day, before commenting that he was now one more mouth to feed. Finally, he says he was handed over to sorrow, saying it was the only kind of midwife his parents could afford.