A Song of Unromantic Thankfulness

An Unromantic Song of Thankfulness

To Mimil, Max, Ben, Andrew, Hugues, Phi, Joachim, Lotfi, Mickaêl and a few others…

When I was young I always thought
I’d fill the roles that I’d been taught
To play when I grew up in life
And be a mother, teacher, wife,
A normal woman, I’d dream of that,
With kids, a mortgage and a cat.
- But I got you lot instead.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t think
I’d stay at home, chained to the sink.
I’d always planned to earn some money
And thought that teaching might be funny.
But in the centre, I’d always see
A happy, smiling family.
- But I got you lot instead.

But God knows what will make us happy,
How I can barely change a nappy.
I am no good with little boys
And even worse at mending toys.
Before they gain the art of speech,
I’ve no idea what makes kids screech.
- So he gave me you lot instead.

Now, please don’t walk out of this rhyme
And say : « This woman’s a waste of time ».
For I can cook a meal for ten
Or even twenty hungry men,
When warned just half an hour before,
Or bake some cakes for even more.
- So you lot came here instead.

We didn’t plan it all this way.
You just turned up and chose to stay
For half a year, or maybe two.
You learned some stuff, we hope you grew.
Then you moved on, got on with life.
You found a job, sometimes a wife !
- Then someone else came here instead.

My work means that I chase around
Some days my feet don’t touch the ground.
I’m not much good at maternal care,
As half the time I’m just not there.
But sometimes I’d sit and chat with you,
Provide a woman’s point of view.
- Or you’d ask my husband instead.

No longer boys, not yet quite men,
You came here, then you left again.
You needed space to find out who
You were and what you had to do,
To be yourselves and then to get
On well with all the folk you met.
- Or just drive them crazy instead.

Sometimes our friends get quite upset
And ask us if we don’t regret
The children that we never had,
That no one calls us « Mum and Dad ».
But they don’t know how much you’ve brought us,
The many, many things you’ve taught us.
- Thanks guys. Keep on coming.