When your day starts off wrong and you don’t even know
Where the car keys have gone when you’re ready to go
Your coffee’s gone cold and your hair looks like sh*t
You can’t find a comb and the toddler’s got nits
You forgot the packed lunch and the milk’s all run out
He can’t find one shoe and you’re starting to doubt
That you’ll ever quite make it out of the door
PUT YOUR SHOES ON! What’s that on the floor?
You’re already late and now someone’s thrown up
And you can’t find the little one’s pink sippy cup
Then it’s nappy-change time and you’re covered in poo
And the room smells like something from a farm or a zoo
And you look in the mirror and catch a quick glimpse
Of the kids, and you, and your face – all pinched
And you take a breath, and you count to ten
And you wonder how you got here, way back when
Your mornings were spent in a bubble of calm
Waiting for a train with a book under your arm
Reading a paper, sipping a drink
The time, the space, the chance to think…
And you open your eyes and it’s not gone away –
The absolute chaos that starts every day
But deep in your heart you know that it’s true:
There’ll soon come a time when it’s back to just you
You’ll have all the space and the quiet and the peace
And you’ll be out of the door on time at least
And you’ll stand in this hallway, all on your own
When the mess is all tidy and the kids are all grown
And you’ll look back and wonder, where that time went
Those early days gone, your energy – spent
OK, so your mornings aren’t fit for TV,
They won’t make the cut for your Instagram feed
But this is the here and this is the now,
And you’ll make it to bedtime – God only knows how
Because you are a mum, and this is your brood
Even when they’re snotty, grumpy and rude
So you summon a smile, a kiss and a cuddle
You gather them up – your own little huddle
And you open the door, and you face a new day
Because you wouldn’t change a thing. No chance. No way.
Just lovely. X
Ah, thank you Rebecca! 🙂
I love this poem. It is a perfect mix of humour and heart whilst also being very true to life (mine anyway).
Thank you Jenny! I’m really glad you enjoyed reading it 🙂
Ah, I love a good poem!
I find it hard enough getting out of the door with one!! All worth it in the end though isnt it 🙂
It certainly is, Lucy 🙂 And one is just as hard as two, I promise!x
Brilliant post! I really admire anyone who can write poetry like this – it’s a definite talent! So true that we will miss all the mess, chaos and noise one day when they’re gone. My boy is ten now and it really does fly by. Thanks for linking up with us on #fortheloveofBLOG – really hope you can join us again for week two xx
Ah, thank you for reading – and thanks for having me 😉 I’ll be back next week with bells on x
Oh I loved this you have perfectly summed up most parents attempts at leaving the house and made me smile after my failed school run attempt! I didn’t even manage to get dressed this morning #prose4t
There should have been a line in there about leaving the house in your PJs 😉 Thank you so much for reading x
This made me laugh as well as making me feel all sentimental. Fabulously done! I loved the farm or the zoo bit – very funny! I loved it all actually! Thank you so much for linking to Prose for Thought x
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Victoria!x