In Praise of Single Moms

You trudge along, all alone
Raising children, till they’re grown
People judging, monies tight
Constant worry, internal fight
You make decisions, without assist
You sacrifice, things are missed
People chatter, critique and blame
Forced to persist, despite the maim
Children get less, they do without
Pointless when they whine and pout
Carbohydrates, their main diet
Fills the void, and keeps them quiet
Domestic queen, required to rule
Synchronizing, work and school
Teach them well, what you’ve learned
Hope and pray, they don’t get spurned
You’ve many dreams, heaps of debt
Carrying sorrows, with deep regret
Love our children, like no other
Very proud, to be their mother
Hug our kids, kiss their bruises
Need support, but dad refuses
Sometimes you wish, for something new
Huge surprise, here comes the flu
Vulnerable invades the house
With mother sick, and no spouse
Now we’re at a disadvantage
Oh, it’s a miracle,but we manage
Things break down, and go wrong
You buck up, and plod along
Can’t complain, no one to listen
Overwhelmed, your eyes will glisten
Close your mouth, don’t say a word
The solo process seems absurd
Often times we’ll face a scandal
Sometimes more than we can handle
Comments made, can be crass
But we forgive, the ignorant ass
We choke down words that they spew
Think to ourselves, if you only knew
Share compassion and understand
Around the clock we’re in demand
We do it all with little praise
Hoping it’s a deviant phase
Faith that life will soon progress
As your children reach success
You’ve done it well, the best you can
Everything, without a man
Covertly, we pray you’ll care
Recognize the vastness we bear
We hope one day, to be respected
With another, become connected
To feel cherished and adored
To heal, and have our soul restored

by Sherrie Leesa