Gwen Harwood's poem “Suburban Sonnet” was first published in 1961 in The Bulletin, a prominent Australian literary magazine. It appeared alongside two related poems, “Suburban Sonnet: Boxing Day” and “In the Park,” all three of which expose the exhaustion and disappointment of a woman struggling with motherhood and strict gender roles.
In “Suburban Sonnet,” Harwood narrates in the close third-person. The poem features an unnamed woman who reflects on her musical accomplishments while performing chores and looking after her rowdy young children. The sonnet is structured around the woman’s attempts to practice her piano music, which she once performed for the famous pianist Arthur Rubinstein, while dealing with distractions like a boiling pot, her children fighting, and the discovery of a dead mouse in a mousetrap. This poem may be inspired by Harwood’s own experiences—she was an aspiring musician and accomplished organist who later turned to poetry.
As its title suggests, “Suburban Sonnet” is structured as a traditional sonnet, with fourteen lines that follow a set rhyme structure. However, it is composed of a single stanza with many line breaks, reflecting the monotonous and exhausting nature of the woman’s daily routine. The poem invites readers to reflect on the demands placed on women and the strict social norms that force them into domestic roles, often at the expense of their professional careers.
