It was too much,
Nearly broke me down.
I said, Madam,
Can it be
You trying to make a
Pack-horse out of me?
She opened her mouth.
She cried, Oh, no!
You know, Alberta,
I love you so!
I said, Madam,
That may be true--
But I'll be dogged
If I love you!
In the older days, African American women would work for whites tending to all house duties as stated above. Some of these homeowners and their workers acquired friendships, but only as far as that person’s front porch. Relationships between workers and servants were sometimes tense. 

Madam and Her Madam