"Angel"  by Abbott Handerson Thayer

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ONE OF THESE DAYS...

One of these days you'll shout,
"Why don't you kids grow up and act your age?"  And they will.
Or, "You guys get outside and find yourself something to do--
And don't slam the door!"
And they won't.

You'll straighten up the boys' bedroom neat and tidy,
Bumper stickers discarded, Spread tucked in smooth,
The toys displayed on the shelves, Hangers in the closet, animals caged,
And you'lll say out loud, "Now I want it to stay this way--"
And it will.

You'll prepare a perfect dinner
With a salad that hasn't been picked to death,
And a cake with no finger traces in the icing, and you'll say,
"Now here's a meal fit for company."
And you'll eat it alone.

You'll say,
"I want complete privacy on the phone--no dancing around,
No pantomimes, no demolition derbies--silence!
Do you hear me?"
And you'll have it.

No more plastic tableclothes stained with spaghetti,
No more bedspreads to protect the sofa from damp bottoms,
Nor more gates to stumble over at the top of the stairs.

No more playpens to arrange a room around,
No more anxious nights under a vaporizer tent,
No more sand on the sheets or Popeye comics in the bathroom.

No more iron-on patches, wet knotted shoestrings, tight boots,
Finding rubber bands for pony tails,
No baby sitter for New Year's Eve.

Washing once a week, seeing a steak that isn't ground up,
Having your teeth cleaned without a baby on your lap,
No P.T.A. meetings, no car pools, no blaring radios,
No one washing her hair at 11:00 at night,
Having your own roll of scotch tape.

Think about it!
No more Christmas presents out of toothpicks and paste,
No more sloppy oatmeal kisses, no more tooth fairy,
No giggles in the dark, no knees to kiss, no responsibility!

Only a voice crying, "Why don't you grow up,"
And the silence echoing, "We did!"
                                        -- Author Unknown

Background picture from Bessie Pease Gutmann®
© The Balliol Corp. MCMXCI

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