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Marriage Vows to a Daughter

We promise not to disapprove
     if you should break the patterns which we set,
     vote Green, pay most bills late and not eat fruit,
     spend Christmas not with us and out of touch.
We promise not to disapprove --
     well, not too much.

We promise not to criticise
     your husband, housework, china, choice of friends,
     your worst decisions, how you spend your cash,
     your car, your lifestyle, furniture and such.
We promise not to criticise --
     well, not too much.

We promise not to nag and fuss
     and phone to check that you’ve sent Gran a card,
     or how much longer we must store your stuff,
     or say it's weeks since you were last in touch.
We promise not to nag and fuss --
     well, not too much.

We promise to respect your space,
     the fact that you’ve moved on and have a life
where we are visitors though, hopefully
     if drowning’s near, a straw that’s yours to clutch.
We promise still to love, though from a distance --
     but just as much.


Martin Parker

 

If you have any thoughts about this poem,  Martin Parker would be pleased to hear them

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