The woman on the far side of the desk looks at the floor, her head full of ireland and the potatoes that blackened and curled and rotted away. we grew only sadness there she wants to say. but this she whispers instead: "i have come to work as a chambermaid and the important person stamps her papers without hearing the rest. "to scrub floors and wash linens until my hands are red and raw, and i have polished happiness for my child so she can become a teacher with hands the color of cream. which excerpt from the poem best supports the overall theme? and the important person stamps her papers without hearing the rest. and the potatoes that blackened and curled and rotted away. so she can become a teacher / with hands the color of cream. the woman on the far side of the desk looks at the floor