Why Did Mother Say That? Poem by Marcia Hanrahan

"Four wooden legs on the floor!"
All I was doing was tipping back the chair I was sitting in,
I though silently.
"Clean your plate!"
But I don't like this vegetable,
I thought silently.
"You're too young to go!"
When will I ever be old enough,
I thought silently.
"Don't interrupt, wait until I'm finished!"
But it's important and I don't like waiting
I thought silently.
When you are growing up, it seems there are always orders to follow.
But strangely, when you have your own children,
There are always orders to give.
"Four wooden legs on the floor!"
You'll fall off the chair backwards and hurt yourself,
I thought silently.
"Clean your plate!"
You need the vitamins to grow strong and healthy,
I thought silently.
"You're too young to go!"
Just stay a little while longer, you'll be out in the world a long time,
I thought silently.
"Don't interrupt, wait unitl I'm finished!"
Someday, I would like to finish just one sentence,
I thought silently.
Then your children are grown
And have children of their own,
You sit on the sidelines listening
And hear orders given.
"Four wooden legs on the floor!"
She sounds just like my mother,
I thought silently.
"Clean your plate!"
If the serving was smaller,
You wouldn't have that problem,
I thought silently.
"Don't interrupt, wait until I'm finished!"
Isn't the little one cute.
I thought silently.
"You're too young to go!"
How you have grown my daughter,
Imagine a daughter of your own.
Thank you, I prayed silently.