"Emotion recollected in tranquillity"...?

It's hard to know how best to depict the intensity of life with a larger family; I was thrilled when Cloud Malone sent me this poem, which she has kindly given me permission to put up here...

No Time
by Cloud Malone

Each day, it's like a marathon
I hardly seem to stop
I hit the pavement running
Never slow below a trot
Four children take it out of me
The fighting, all the mess
Suzannah's little tantrums,
Stopping Joe from biting Jess
Then Sam will start up crying
Making all the others whine
They only need a cuddle
But I haven't got the time!
Washing, brushing, cleaning, mopping
Bleaching down the loo
Scrubbing cooking baking wiping
Scraping off the poo
Shopping chopping shouting dusting
Where do I begin?
Quite frankly, I'm exhausted
And I wouldn't change a thing.

And here's a poignant poem from Tracey Huntley, highlighting how swiftly it all passes...

A Parent's Love
by Tracey Huntley

Time to get up, it's 3am,
Another bottle, change that diaper again
Sing sweet tunes to soothe your ear
Thank God that He brought you here

Scratches, scrapes and bruised up knees,
Asking Mommy to "kiss it please"
Hey Dad, I heard something under my bed,
Can you read it again? That book you just read?

The game will start in thirty minutes,
Dad is proud because his son is in it
Mom's still worried about scrapes and scratches,
But yells 'hoorah!' with every ball he catches

There's a special glow about a mom and a dad,
It's there as they raise their child
Being there through the good and bad;
Loving them all the while

Hey Dad can you fix my tie?
Oh come on Mom, please don't cry.
You two have always been there, just like your here today,
Standing right beside me,
Watching her father give her away

I would love to find more poems that sum up the reality of our lives, so if you're a budding poet with something to say about family life, parenthood, childhood, whatever, please send me any contributions! They must be your own work and not yet published eleswhere or I could run into copyright problems. Now I'm afraid I can't resist the opportunity to inflict one of my own on you, just so that Cloud & Tracey aren't alone, you understand...

HomeTime
by Angela Corbet

Calm, serene, almost orderly,
home waits, curled gently round the empty hours,
then
          BANG!
You explode through the door,
chattering, laughing, squalling, demanding,
muddy boots, tousled hair, flashing eyes,
    a jumble of bags,
        a tumble of books,
            a rumble of tums,
"STARVING!" - but choosy! -
bursting with news and views,
injustices, Great Truths,
    a gabble of deadlines,
        a scrabble of fingers,
            a rabble of friends...

Time flies, like a startled cat,
skittering, slinking, sliding away
until night falls; children yawn,
lights flicker out, peace returns,
and the minutes stretch & settle
on my heart, curling softly into memories...

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