My Mom

FOR NINETY YEARS MY MOM LIVED
SOUND OF MIND UNTIL SHE DIED
SHE DID HER BEST TO BE HAPPY
LOVE FOR HER CHILDREN WAS NOT DENIED

SHE WAS A LOYAL CHURCH MEMBER
SHE TAUGHT ME RIGHT FROM WRONG
LOVED SINGING IN THE CHURCH CHOIR
ENJOYED HYMNS AND GOSPEL SONGS

SHORT OF STATURE SHE WAS
AND I NEVER LET HER LIVE IT DOWN
BY THE TIME I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL
SHE WOULD LOOK UP AT ME AND FROWN

MY MOM, SHE NEVER MET A STRANGER
FOR HER TO BE SILENT WOULD BE A SHOCK
IT WAS A JOKE IN OUR FAMILY
SHE COULD HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH A ROCK

SHE COULDN’T KEEP A SECRET
NO MATTER HOW HARD SHE TRIED
WE WOULD ALWAYS TRY TO TRICK HER
FROM HER ANSWERS WE WOULD PRY

MY MOM INVENTED THE WORD “WORRY”
IT WAS SOMETHING THAT SHE DID BEST
IF SHE RAN OUT OF THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT
SHE’D CALL A NEIGHBOR IN DISTRESS

SHE NEVER MISSED A GARAGE SALE
THE CAR WOULD SKID TO A STOP
OUT SHE’D GO, LITTLE LEGS CHURNING
BECAUSE SHE JUST HAD TO SHOP

FLOWERS WERE HER FAVORITE THINGS
SHE USED TO WORK IN A FLOWER SHOP
CRAFTING, DESIGNING, MAKING BOUQUETS
ARTHRITIC FINGERS FORCED HER TO STOP

MY MOM, SHE COULD HAVE A TEMPER
GET HER MAD HER FACE BECAME BEET RED
AND IF YOU DID SOMETHING REALLY BAD
HER WOODEN PADDLE YOU WOULD DREAD

Thursday, June 23, 2022