Eat the Rest

When I was coming up momma and daddy both said "Finish your plate, son. Eat the rest!" More often than not there'd be something I didn't like, or didn't like enough and momma or daddy one would say "Finish your plate. Eat the rest!" I'd eat a little more, ask to be excused, momma or daddy see my remnants "Eat the rest, child! Eat the rest!" I'd eat a bit more. "May I be excused?" "Listen to me, boy, you best eat the rest!" So I'd sit there, pitiful like, and eat the rest. Reflecting on this, I am keenly aware proponents on both sides argue 'beware!’ Forcing a child always to finish their plate can lead to obesity's worrisome fate But letting them stop whenever they want selfishly teaches life's lessons to flaunt It doesn't matter which side you're on I'll agree with you so let's move on There's a deeper darker side to this that I need to mention lest I be remiss After year's of being told to eat the rest is it possible I actually consumed "my rest"? The rest I seek when I try to take a nap The rest I pursue when I wear my CPAP The rest that eludes me at work or at play The question my wife asks me every day: "Were you able to get any rest?" No, dear. When I was a kid, I was forced to finish my plate and eat the rest, so there's none to be found. I done ate it all. 8/4/2020 The ramblings of a man raised by a momma from the South and a daddy from the North ;)