I Knew My Mother Very Well.
In Fact…
We Were Related.
By Birth.
Somehow Folks That Knew Us Both,
Either Did Not Know That Or Accept
My Mother And I Knew Each Other Before
Many Of Them Did.
Many People Would Come To Me,
To Say What Kind Of Person She Was.
As If I Was A Visitor…
That Showed Up On The Holidays.
I Am The Result Of My Mother’s Teachings.
And I Hope I’ve Done Her Lessons Well.
In Fact…
When I Had Been Just A Kid At 18,
And Had Enlisted In The Military.
My Training Instructors Were Amazed
That I Was So Disciplined.
I Already Knew How To Iron, Sew, Cook And Clean.
Many Of Those Things Some Guys Struggled,
Through.
As They Endured Basic Training.
People Without Military Training Aren’t Aware…
If Mama Wasn’t There,
Uncle Sam Ensured Those Things Got Done!
Or No Guy Would Survive On Just Learning How To Clean A Gun.
My Mama Didn’t Pack No Gun.
But She Knew What Was Best For Her Son!
And To A Large Degree…
My Mama Prepared Me To Confront The Enemy.
My Ex-Wives!
And I Say That Kind Of Jokingly.
But I Was Raised To Be Totally Independent,
Since I Can Remember.
Lawrence S. Pertillar