Poem: “Julie”
Julie
(Written for my mother)
Long ago and far away
A child was born one crisp autumn day
Not much is known of this child in those days,
Seemingly happy, creative and gay.
And then came that time, long before “Women’s Lib”
That society said, “To your husband you’ll give.”
She put down her cap without making a fuss,
And lo and behold, she had 10 of us.
Some say it’s sad, when you stop to ponder
Her life wasn’t hers; she had no time to wander.
What is the good of re-hashing one’s youth
Unless with those memories we now seek the truth
There wasn’t a way, I guess in those days
For a person to say, “No- I’m not made that way.”
Sacrifices were many, some unwillingly made
They were simply expected, like dues to be paid.
Julie here’s your chance to say what you feel.
Show the whole world that you really are real.
Show us your ups and show us your downs
Show us your laughs and show us your frowns
Show us you’re brave and when you’re not,
That’s being human, like the rest of this lot.
Perfect you’re not, and then neither are we
Nobody is, as far as I can see
Yet this is the beauty of these wondrous times
We can all be ourselves, and nobody minds.
Being yourself, only you can judge,
Learning to live and learning to love
Time’s not running out, even though it may seem
It’s never too late… Go recapture your dreams.
Mary Barto
