
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