Siege

This I do, being mad:
Gather baubles about me,
Sit in a circle of toys, and all the time
Death beating the door in.

_White jade and an orange pitcher,_
   _Hindu idol, Chinese god,--_
_Maybe next year, when I’m richer--_
   _Carved beads and a lotus pod...._

And all this time
Death beating the door in.

        Edna St. Vincent Millay