“Mommy, we want this! No wait, we want that!”

Now Mommy has tears that she’s holding back.

How can she tell her precious little boys,

That they only have money for food, not toys?

“Maybe another day.” She says with a smile.

They wouldn't understand, not for a while.

So, the small family of three buys what they need.

Just enough at a time for six meals the boys can eat.

“Mommy? Aren’t you going to eat dinner with us?”

“Mommy will eat later.” She wouldn’t, but it wasn’t a fuss.

Then, once her boys were down for bed,

She hid in her room and hung her head.

She felt like a failure for not having enough.

Her job was shit and the pay was rough.

She couldn’t pay it off, so they didn’t have a car.

Instead, they walked to places near and far.

Their house was small and in a rough part of town.

It worried this mother, so they kept their heads down.

Every so often they went to swing at a park.

It’s all the fun they had before days got dark

The boys with their wagons and figures of few,

Smiled and laughed, any worries far from view.

Meanwhile, their mother called family and friends

Asking for a few dollars to pay bills and meet ends.

“I swear I’ll pay you back when I can. I just need to get by.”

They all said, “No, no, it’s fine,” but she knew it was a lie.

She knew they just pitied her and watched from a distance.

Everyone was waiting to see if they needed more assistance.

“Mommy, we need new shoes and clothes.”

This time, mommy broke and let the tears flow.

The boys looked at their mom and wondered about the tears.

“Mommy? What’s wrong?” Now she had to face her fears.

“Boys, mommy has something she needs to say,”

“I don’t have the money to get you clothes or toys, okay?”

Her boys didn't understand, but their little heads were nodding.

“I’m sorry, boys. Really, I am.” And her tears kept falling.

Then the sons embraced their mom.

They didn’t know it, but it helped her feel calm.

“It’s okay if we don’t have new stuff.”

She knew these words weren’t just a bluff. 

That night they watched movies and slept in her room.

She looked at her kids and things seemed less gloom.

They couldn’t have everything they needed in life,

But this small family of three always found ways to get by.