Accountable

As a child I was taught to share, Not to talk back, be polite, don't stare, Limited to what I was permitted to see, No radio music, no movies rated beyond pg 13, We prayed every night before we went to sleep, And before every meal when we sat down to eat, We had chores every morning before we went off to school, There was no getting paid for it, it was just something you do, If you said a bad word, you got .your mouth washed out with soap, Pamolive was my best friend, don't you know, If you got caught lying or being sneaky, You had better believe you were getting a beating, And if you didn't have anything nice or respectful to say, You were to turn your head and walk away, There was no way to blow off steam, Your family knew everything!, And when I look back now, I can say that I'm thankful, For these are the things that made me accountable.