The laundry was never done
The dinner was always burnt
Everyone was on the run
Lessons always learnt
The house was always loud
Rooms never clean
Keys never found
Our best friend was Mr. Clean
The walls were scarred with sharpie and handprints
The car had a constant smell of old milk and socks
Cheerios stained the car seats
A baby was always crying
Mother was always sighing
Ending prayers and good night kisses finished the day
And loud wake up calls brought in the morning
Routines were established
Chores were assigned
Yet the house was still a mess
And schedules never aligned
Chaos ensued
Voices were raised
Doors were slammed
The sun was setting
The table was set
And the family met
To sit and pray
Laughs were shared
A lovely protocol
We never had it all together
But together we had it all

Samantha Riordan ’19