The Matriarch
I remember Mama…
Always cooking,
Always sweeping,
Always washing dishes,
Always cleaning the laundry,
Always helping with homework,
Always counseling, and
Always pregnant!
She taught us how to work
When she bought a sack of nails
And showed us how to drive them straight.
She made us pull the bent nails
And straighten them
So we didn’t waste a one.
We drove the sack that day
And had a lot of fun.
Mama taught us discipline
And patience
As well as dedication
And love.
She expected nothing in return.
Her fortune
Was our love, when we were young.
Now years have past
And Dad is gone,
He leaves five men to carry on:
“Stand tall, stride long and
Dance to no one else’s song.”
Mom, the Matriarch left alone,
Rules a vacant, empty home.
She waits to teach one final lesson
And all the while remembers…
When We Were Young.
This is an excerpt from "When We Were Young"with a new title for the "Mother" Contest.
Copyright © Ray Dillard | Year Posted 2010
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