Baby Born Yesterday - Grandma Recalls comic poem 181 by Angela Lansbury

Every dawn a brand new baby's born

But none's quite as important as ours

Changing our life each day, in every way

Like filling a vase with sweet, fresh flowers

Dad struggles, lugs the buggy round the town 

Warm the baby, its bottle, wash the cup

The old saying's what goes up must come down

But the milk. which goes down, sometimes comes up

Our grand-daughter should be a lifelong friend

Being decades younger, she'll survive me

She'll stay all my life until its far end

Every day her wide, white smile revives me 

'Why does a baby smile?' 'Why does it cry?'

'The list is short. Thirsty, wet, tired, cold, bored'

'How can we be sure that it will not die?'

'No rash? Wrap tight, give hugs, it's not ignored.'

Give it newborn gloves. Give it newborn socks.

New Mum's the one who's looking out of sorts.

'Sleep when it sleeps. All clocks are baby clocks.

In two years time, a baby walks and talks.'

***

I remember  when our son was born -

A baby's eyes might be warm choc-late brown

It's two cool pool eyes could be baby blue

Its heart-shape mouth could be like mini me

Its nose or complexion could come from you

A chance to renew or start something new

It could copy us or one we don't know

It doesn't matter if we have no clue

So long as we've a live baby to show

***

I remember  when our son was born

Ten friends from the antenatal class

Ten gave birth, each one a winner

Each couple's baby growing so fast

We invited the nearest pair round to dinner

She brought us a gift, but here's what she said

'You've a lovely baby, You're a great mother -

Ours was still born. That means it was born dead.

Thanks. Never mind. I'm pregnant - having another!'

-ends-

True story.

How I check the metre of my verses

Writing sets of four lines is easy.

As soon as I reach eight, I start counting syllables.

They could be sets of four, six, eight, ten,

I could them on the five fingers of my left hand and the thumb and two fingers of my right hand. If I have an extra syllable, I try to lose one. I remove the subject and start with the verb. I cut out words like a and the. I change three syllable words to one syllable words.

If I am stuck with one longer line, I go back and add a syllable to all the others.