Mama's Mama, on a winter's day,
Milked the cows and fed them hay,
Slopped the hogs, saddled the mule,
And got the children off to school.
Did a washing, mopped the floors,
Washed the windows and did some chores.
Cooked a dish of home-dried fruit,
Pressed her husband's Sunday suit,
Swept the parlor, made the bed,
Baked a dozen loaves of bread.
Split some wood and lugged it in,
Enough to fill the kitchen bin,
Cleaned the lamps and put in oil,
Stewed some apples she thought might spoil, Churned the butter, baked a cake,
then exclaimed: "For Mercy's sake,
The calves have gotten out of the pen!"
Went out and chased them in again,
Gather the eggs and locked the stable,
Returned to the house and set the table, Cooked a supper that was delicious,
And afterwards washed all the dishes,
Fed the cat, sprinkled the clothes,
Mend a basket full of hose,
Then opened the organ and began to play, "When You Come to the End of a Perfect Day.
The house is a mess, the dishes are dirty.
I'm too old for this stuff, I'm well over thirty!
The car is not clean, my hair is a wreck,
And I've already spent next Friday's paycheck.
The laundry needs washing, the kids are too rowdy,
And I never had time for a leisurely "Howdy".
With all that I do, it's never enough,
It's never quite finished, it's always too rough.
I look in my mirror and what do I see?
A harried old stranger, where I used to be.
The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.
Today is tomorrow, and I'm not caught up yet.
My kids are growing at such a fast pace,
That I'm missing their childhood for the sake of this race.
I work and I clean and I cook, and I say
"Hit the books, clean your room!" there's no time to play.
Well, the Lord, for some reason, chose ME with the care
Of three of His children, but I'm rarely there!
I've GOT to slow down lest there's nothing to show
For my roll as their mom when they pack up and go!
I'm only one person, but look through my door,
What appeared to be one, divides into more!
I'm a chauffeur, a cook, planter of trees.
A teacher, an umpire, a mender of knees.
Sometimes, I forget that deep down inside,
There's a lady with feelings, and last night, she cried.
She gets tired and lonely, feels taken for granted
She wants to see blooms from seeds that she's planted.
Then, amidst all the turmoil in this mind-bending pace,
My little ones look at me - square in the face.....
And just when I need it, they all in one day
Say, "Momma, I love you" and then ..... I'm OKAY!
~ Taken from Soul Food ~
