Saturday, November 21, 2009

Pinned to my study wall, 1.

Edited to add: Goodness, an unsuspected British/American language problem in my title. My study wall, Thimbleanna, is the wall of the room in which we keep our computers. This poem is pinned to the left of my desk. And Rosemary Norman is not one of my students. She's an English poet. Her poem is divided into verses but for some reason, Blogger won't let me show this.



Lullaby by Rosemary Norman

Go to sleep, Mum,

I won't stop breathing, suddenly, in the night.

Go to sleep, I won't

Climb out of my cot and

tumble downstairs.

Mum, I won't swallow

The pills the doctor gave you or

Put hairpins in electric

Sockets, just go to sleep.

I won't cry

When you take me to school and leave me

I'll be happy with other children

My own age.

Sleep, Mum, sleep.

I won't

Fall in the pond, play with matches,

Run under a lorry or even consider

Sweets from strangers.

No, I won't

Give you a lot of lip,

Not like some.

I won't sniff glue,

Fail all my exams,

Get myself /

My girlfriend pregnant.

I'll work hard and get a steady /

Really worthwhile job

I promise, go to sleep.

I'll never forget

To drop in / phone / write

And if

I need any milk, I'll yell.

12 comments:

  1. Hey!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog - I've got to set off to work now, but I'll be back to peruse your posts soon.

    Your cat is adorable - looks like a tiny version of my Widdershins!

    - M

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wouldn't we all sleep better with promises like those!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Take heart dear one, take heart.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We wish, we wish! And we cannot switch off the wishes. They are the result of a hormone activated by childbirth. (So I told my son when he used to come home much too late, and I could not sleep until he was home safely.)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh my! I do love that poem. A Lot! I don't know what a study wall is, but if that's from a student, I hope you gave her an A.

    Haha -- I decided I better google Rosemary Norman before I hit send -- if she is a student you're VERY lucky LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bit of a lump in the throat now, reading that...

    TG's had to close her blog with an as yet unresolved problem, though she's still occasionally drifting around in the blog ether. I'll pass on your enquiry, for which thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  7. How this will resonate with every new Mum! Lets hope their anxiety diminishes with subsequent offspring...

    ReplyDelete
  8. It resonates with some slightly older mums too! Thanks for that, Isabelle

    ReplyDelete
  9. You don't have to be a mum to appreciate the sentiments in that lovely poem. As the child of a mum who worried herself into an early (57 y/o) grave, I wish I could have pinned that on her bedroom wall.
    Love the Pussy photo as usual! But where is the other one? I thought they were inseperable!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Where have you disappeared to Isabelle? Hope all is well....

    ReplyDelete
  11. :) It must be incredibly hard being a parent. Incredibly beautiful as well, but surely not easy. And incredibly brave as well.

    ReplyDelete