Daddy Wisdom
When I say jump, you must ask how high, but
girls should be seen and not heard. Smile big, but
think twice before you speak. You may have your
own views as long as they’re mine. Do as I
say, but not as I do, and don’t speak at
all unless you’re spoken to. When life hands
out lemons, it’s a bitter pill. Drink deep,
and take care to eat all you are given.
Whoever told you that life is fair is
a fool soon left with no dough. Measure with
care, and always cut once before they cut
you. It’s better to kill than to bow your
head low. Free milk makes the cow as ugly
as sin, and blood won’t come out in the wash.
Mark which fills first when you want in one hand
and excrete in the other. Keep count of
your eggs, but don’t call them hens. Rise with the
crow of the cock. A penny you save is
one less you must earn, but it’s best to let
men bear the load. Most of all, dear, it is
fair to say, that the darkness that happens
today is sure to fly south with the dawn.
Devon Tunnell is a mother of four and an English major at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas. In her limited free time, she enjoys knitting, drawing, and rearranging her furniture. This is the first poem she has published as an adult.