‘Twas the night before school and all through the house
the small ones were not happy
not even their mouse

The backpacks were hung by the front door with care
And a feeling of gloom hung heavy in the air
The children were huddled awake in their beds
With ipods and cell phones plugged into their heads

Daughter was in her  t-shirt and the boys wore their shorts
Stewing about books, reading and reports

Suddenly from the family room there arose such a clatter
The dog sprang from her bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the stairway, the kids  flew like a flash
Opened the doorway and made a mad dash.

Outside the moon light danced across the newly mowed lawn
Highlighting the treetops in summer’s last yawn.
But down in the rec room nothing calm did appear
The kids looked in wonder at their own mother dear.

With a look on her face so hale and hearty
They knew in an instant this was her party.
More rapid than rockets the courses she named
And she whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
“Tomorrow is Math! The boys have Gym! Now English! Now Science, EE, then Spanish!
Art and computer lab–some love a bunch!
And don’t forget–they all eat lunch!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So back up to their beds the unhappy children flew,
Mom’s finally gone off her rocker, they just knew.

They twittered and IM’d and e-mailed their pals
even the geek with the weird hair, someone said is named Al.
They found from their friends that this strangeness abounds,
Parents throughout the city had this going around.

They were dancing, shouting and singing out loud,
Moms especially were saying they were walking on clouds.

Her eyes, how they twinkled
Her dimples, how merry!
Her cheeks were like roses, her nose like a cherry!
Her droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow
And the froth of her beer was as white as the snow!

A wink of her eye and a nod her head
Soon let Dad know he had nothing to dread

As she flopped on the bed, she heaved a great sigh
“Ah it’s here — relief is nearby”
And as she drifted off to sleep, we all heard her say
“Tomorrow is the first day of school–HURRAY.”

Copyright. 2012. Caroline Paulison Andrew. All Rights Reserved.