Growing Up

Life was hard when I was young.
A dad was just something other kids had.
It was a struggle for a mom with nine kids.
Some days were happy and some days were sad.

But mom did the best that she could.
The check from the state wasn't much.
My brother worked on a garbage truck
And brought us home clothing and such.

And I wore those clothes to school
Wondering from day to day
If any of the kids would recognize
The clothes they had thrown away.

The dishes we ate from were castaways too.
My brother brought home a lot of stuff.
We didn't have new things to show off to friends,
But what we had was good enough.

At the beginning of every month
We got our food from the welfare line.
Yellow rice, pressed meat, cheese,
And peanut butter that suited us fine.

But before the month was over with
The cabinets were bare.
It took a lot to feed nine kids,
But to complain, we didn't dare.

We made do with what there was.
Mom would get a loaf of bread
And make us a sandwich for our meal.
At least we all were fed.

A sugar sandwich was the bomb.
Mustard...ketchup...mayonnaise,
Salt and pepper between two slices of bread.
At least there were no hunger days.

We had electricity when we could meet the bill
And oil lamps when we couldn't.
We had running water half of the time
And the other half....we wouldn't.

But we all grew up and are doing good.
We have families of our own to feed.
We make sure they are fed and have clothes to wear
And whatever else they may need.

Mom moved on ...God called her home.
Her struggles on earth are through.
We'll all see her again when our time has come
And we'll begin a life anew.

There'll be no need for clothing,
Or dishes from the trash,
Or welfare lines and electric bills,
Or a limited amount of cash.