Riches
They say that times were tough then,
That money was very tight -
But I remember my childhood,
And I know that can’t be right!
Mom would cook our dinner,
Dad came home at five -
We were all sitting at the table,
Waiting for him to arrive!
We wouldn’t eat from a microwave,
Or a restaurant down the street -
We all ate Mom’s home cooking,
And boy that can’t be beat!
We didn’t eat in front of the TV,
Or with a phone in our hand -
We weren’t plugged into a stereo,
Bopping to the latest band!
We would all sit at the table,
Everyone in their place -
There were never any surprises,
We recognized every face!
Brothers to the left of me,
Sisters to the right -
That’s the way we ate dinner
Every single night!
We laughed, we joked, we talked, we ate,
We were a family, don’t you see -
Though some may have been raised poor,
You can see it wasn’t me!
We ate collards, we ate biscuits,
We ate fatback and black-eyed peas -
We said yes sir, we said no sir.
We said thank you ma’am, and please!
So when you talk of family life,
Or how it used to be -
Though many had more money,
None were as rich as me!
By Jeanne D. Rhein
They say that times were tough then,
That money was very tight -
But I remember my childhood,
And I know that can’t be right!
Mom would cook our dinner,
Dad came home at five -
We were all sitting at the table,
Waiting for him to arrive!
We wouldn’t eat from a microwave,
Or a restaurant down the street -
We all ate Mom’s home cooking,
And boy that can’t be beat!
We didn’t eat in front of the TV,
Or with a phone in our hand -
We weren’t plugged into a stereo,
Bopping to the latest band!
We would all sit at the table,
Everyone in their place -
There were never any surprises,
We recognized every face!
Brothers to the left of me,
Sisters to the right -
That’s the way we ate dinner
Every single night!
We laughed, we joked, we talked, we ate,
We were a family, don’t you see -
Though some may have been raised poor,
You can see it wasn’t me!
We ate collards, we ate biscuits,
We ate fatback and black-eyed peas -
We said yes sir, we said no sir.
We said thank you ma’am, and please!
So when you talk of family life,
Or how it used to be -
Though many had more money,
None were as rich as me!
By Jeanne D. Rhein