Mother's Aprons

I remember so well the calico aprons that my Mother wore.
She made them from feed sacks that Father needed no more.
She wore them mainly to keep her pretty dresses pristine,
But she found so many other uses for them in her daily routine.

She used them to gather eggs from the henhouse nests,
And to shoo from her garden, crows and other such pests.
Toted in an apron were apples plucked fresh from the trees.
They were used for collecting pods after shelling peas.

Flowers from her garden filled the apron for pretty bouquets.
It held clothes pins to hang clothes for drying on laundry days.
Aprons were used as a receptacle when snapping green beans,
And to gather a batch of lettuce for a salad of tasty greens.

Many times her apron wiped tears from a little boy's eyes,
And wiped her furrowed brow when baking cakes and pies.
They were dandy for last-minute dusting before company arrived.
Without her apron, I don't know how Mom would've survived!

It seems that ladies no longer need an apron to wear themselves,
Since food can be readily snatched from nearby grocery shelves.
An apron is seldom worn by domestic engineers nowadays,
Since tossing supper in a microwave to heat is now the craze!

Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired
(© All Rights Reserved)
Copyright © | Year Posted 2010

Poem

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Freeze Avatar
May 20, 2010 at 6:30 PM
This is the kind of poem that I am so happy to run across. Great imagery. Well done. -Josh
W Avatar
May 4, 2010 at 7:04 PM
Although before clicking the link to this poem, I first thought "what could one ever write about a mother's apron", upon reading this poem, it opened my eyes to the number of experiences a mother's apron is truly present for. This ended up being very thought provoking for me! I especially like the 4th stanza! Good job, Robert!
Taylor Avatar
May 3, 2010 at 12:36 PM
It sure was a handy piece of equipment. Brings back memories of Mom.
Flach Avatar
May 2, 2010 at 6:37 PM
Nicely done Robert. Simple ingenuity, the apron and your poem. Good luck in the contest.
Sweetheart Avatar
May 2, 2010 at 2:06 PM
A brilliant story of your Mother and your boyhood days ... beautiful rhyme Bob and much good luck in the Mother contest.. this time I passed by rhyme with the new Sestina form which I am beginning to really enjoy its challenge ... if u care to read... Memories of Maria...with luv ...from the "Sweetheart"
Kendrick Avatar
May 2, 2010 at 1:52 PM
Robert, I too remember the apron...My mother did not wear them so much but my husband's mother did and she used them much the same..I never liked to wear one even though in my early marriage I had to do gardening, prepare foods fresh from the garden in the summer and preserve foods for winter..The main reason my mother-in-law wore them was to keep her dress clean because it was easier to wash and iron the apron than to have to do so many dresses.Then someone came to her house apron off ....Sara
Johnson Avatar
May 2, 2010 at 1:23 PM
Wow they really are very much alike. I guess because we were both lucky to have such dear and hard working mothers. Thanks for your comments. Love, Joyce
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