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If You Want a Modern Mother
Come, dear children, no complaining!
Modern ways I'm not disdaining,
have tried, but failed attaining,
Plain old-fashioned I'm remaining;
So you see,
If you want a modern mother
Then you'll have to find another,
I'm the only kind of mother I can be.
I belong to no committee,
Am not known throughout the city
For my speeches wise and witty
Or my presence poised and pretty;
So you see,
If you want a civic mother
Then you' ll have to find another,
I'm the only kind of mother I can be.
I am not a stylish creature,
My fashions, my face, my figure
Clearly indicate the nature
Of the role in life I feature;
So you see,
If you want a glam'rous mother,
Then you'll have to find another,
I'm the only kind of mother I can be.
I bemoan no wasted talent,
Cultivate no rare endowment,
Do not chase each fleeting moment
In pursuit of self-improvement;
So you see,
If you want a clever mother,
Then you'll have to find another,
I'm the only kind of mother I can be.
True, I feed and clothe you merely,
But I love my family dearly,
Think you're perfect each, or nearly,
And produce a new one yearly;
So you see,
It you want a better mother
Then you'd better find another,
I'm the only kind of mother I can be!
-- Mildred Trivers, 1963 |
