note: From time to time, generally between series, I like to share some poetry. I wrote today's selection at the request of my high school senior class and read it at commencement.
What Are a Mom and
Dad?
What are a mom and
dad?
Are they just instruments
To clothe my back,
and feed my face
And fulfill all my
wants?
Are they just here
because
I happened to be
born
On accident to
them
One cold and drear
May morn?
Are they just here
because
A whim God had one
day
To give them Bill
or Jen
Or Tom to show the
way?
No, parents are on
purpose;
God knew just what
He did
When He sent me to
stay
With you while I’m
a kid.
He knew that I
would need
A dad to point the
way,
To warn of dangers
out in front
And sin that doesn’t
pay.
He knew I’d need a
mom
To love and
cherish me;
To pick me up when
down
And bandage my
skinned knee.
He knew I’d need a
hero
When tiny steps
were mine.
Every act was
right;
In you no wrong I’d
find.
You’d fix my
broken bike,
Repair the
slipping chain,
Or put the window
back
I’d broken, whole
again.
He knew I’d need
some firmness.
He knew I’d need
some grace.
He knew I’d need
some courage
Life’s struggles
here to face.
He knew I’d need
some wisdom
To make a choice
or two;
He knew some
understanding
I’d need to get
from you.
He knew I’d need
someone
To stand beside my
bed
And put a cold
washcloth
Upon my aching
head.
He knew I’d need a
soothing voice
When cloudy is the
day.
He knew I’d need a
loving touch
For thorns along
the way.
He knew I’d need a
hand
To hold on tight
to mine
While reading from
some book
A bed-time story
rhyme.
He knew I’d need
someone
To come and pray
with me
When I was scared
to sleep
Because just dark
I’d see.
He knew I’d need a
shoulder
To lean and cry
upon
When no one seemed
to care,
And life just wasn’t
fun.
He knew I’d need
some help
In learning how to
write
My ABC’s and D’s
When school first
came in sight.
He knew I’d need a
hand
To wipe away the
tears
That come from
time to time
While walking down
the years.
He knew that some
assistance
In learning how to
drive
A car would be
quite helpful
In keeping me
alive.
He knew I’d need a
person
To buy my first
Bible;
He knew I’d need
good hands
To mold me while
pliable.
He knew I’d need
protection
From bad and scary
things.
He knew I’d need
some help
In choosing
wedding rings.
He knew I’d need
someone
To say, “How nice!”,
and “Fine!”
When crayons
worked on paper.
(It’s nice. Who
needs the lines?)
He knew I’d need finances
A wad to sponge
upon,
And though that
wad was small
Yet still I had my
fun.
He knew I’d need a
mom
To teach me how to
fix
A rent, a rip, or
tear,
Stitch by crooked
stitch.
He knew I’d need a
hand
To teach me how to
throw
A softball o’er
the plate
Or one made out of
snow.
He knew I’d need
some people
To always love me e’en
If I began to act
Like every other
teen.
He knew I’d need a
mom
To finally put an
end
To blissful
morning sleep
When I hit snooze
again.
He knew I’d need
some parents
To teach me things
‘bout life,
Like how to live
and love and learn
And still stay man
and wife.
He knew I’d need a
dad
To look at me, and
go,
“This will not be
a habit!”
While shelling out
the dough
For speeding
tickets gotten.
“A habit, Dad? Oh,
no!”
He knew I’d need
some help
In learning how to
scrub
The floor, and
clean the sink,
And wash and rinse
the tub.
He knew a set of
parents
Would necessary be
For my advent on
Earth
And also
spiritually.
He knew I’d need a
mom
To chaperone the
class,
And when you asked
me why,
“Of course, the
teacher asked!”
He knew I’d need a
daddy
To ask, “Where’d
grandma go?”
Or take me in a
boat,
And teach me how
to row.
Or take a fishing
pole
In search of
waiting fish;
Together, blow out
candles
And make a
birthday wish.
He knew I’d need a
mom
To spot the unwashed
dish,
And so build
character
(Although against
my wish.)
He knew I’d need
someone
To spank the back
of me
Or I’d still be
the terror
I was when I was
three.
He knew I’d need
someone
To take me to the
zoo
To see the lions
and tigers
And even a kangaroo.
He knew I’d need
some loving.
He knew I’d need
some prayer.
He knew I’d need
some discipline.
He placed it in
your care.
He knew I’d need
some guidance
If I’m to e’er
become
What God made me
to be,
Or e’en just of
that, some.
And so He gave me
you,
The best a kid
could want.
For better parents
never
Would I e’er have
to hunt.
You see, dear Mom
and Dad,
All these things I
read
Are true about you
two
As everybody’s
said.
He knew I’d need
the best
That any kid could
get,
And so He gave me
you;
I’m wholly in your
debt.
Never kid could
have
A better mom and
dad.
You are the best
there is;
Just awesome, totally
rad.
-by Tom Brennan
May 31, 1991
Tom and Judy Brennan
August, 2022
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