GRANDSITTING

So many joys

Grandparenting can bring.

Makes you run out in the street

And just giggle and sing.

Oh yes, they’re adorable,

But not before lunch.

Breakfast is chaotic

Without Captain Crunch.

Try combing their hair

If it’s tangled in knots.

It’s easier to thread through

One of Stephen King’s plots.

Next comes the fun part.

Let’s brush our teeth.

Then the dreaded potty stop

And what lurks beneath.

Now that they’re dressed

A hurricane’s raging outside.

You’ve got eight more hours

Of “I will Survive.”

It’s nap time, please God,

Let me clear the dishes and shower,

Finish the laundry and vacuum.

What’s your superpower?

Once naps are over,

To the kids you’ll devote

Cookies and gummies

Til you find the remote.

Endless hours of “Encanto,”

Bead-stringing and play-doh.

Time for dinner already?

Where did the day go?

You’re dishing out pasta

With broccoli and chicken.

When your daughter comes home,

You’re on your hands and knees in the kitchen.

Your breath sounds are shallow,

And as you crawl toward the door,

You whisper Poe’s elegy –

“Quoth the Raven, Nevermore.”

By Barbara Shields