A Home of One's Own

A small animal runs to its mother for food and protection,
But where does the mother turn for protecting them?
We must think of their inner strength and their friends,
When choosing our own family's protective men.

A man without his adult strength to live on his own,
Still being supported by his father and his mother,
Is not likely to have an protective community,
Other than his own sisters and his brothers.

When a baby is born to a couple, a new family is formed
A woman who has not been prepared to support herself
(Human babies are dependent for many years)
Is surely not capable of supporting someone else.

Teach a girl to work beside her father and her mother;
Teach a boy to care for a home, inside and out.
Watch over your children as they achieve together;
This is what marriage and family are truly about.

This was the way of the pioneer families,
Who worked in the fields and the home
The boys were taught to work with women
It was the way the homes became their own.

There are few of these pioneer spirits left;
My Mountain Mama is still telling her story.
I have been blessed by knowing several like her;
Their strength, not beauty was their shining glory.

We must teach our youth ways of becoming adult,
Other than male fighting and female procreation.
Creating strong, educated new family units
Is the only way to create strong, peaceful nations.

-Tribute to Mamie Murphy of Coker Creek, TN, USA and to my grandmothers