Give Her A Pat!

It's 8.30am
The maid has not arrived.
The breakfast is not ready,
And I have tiffins to fill.
The laundry heap increases,
The groceries need refill.
The elder one has homework,
The younger one's still sleeping.
There's no egg in the fridge,
The milk just spills over.
I have a conference today,
My blouse needs ironing.
There's a workshop in the school,
I don't know how to manage.
My mother in law is here
To ask medicines for backache.
A call from the bathroom
“I’ve forgotten the towel ”
The cat mews, the birds chirp,
The plants need watering.
The phone beeps
To remind me of a pleural tap.
The receptionist calls
Full appointments overall.
My shoulders aches
I have no one to tell.
My eyes are heavy
With last night's on call.
I don't remember the last time
I had been to the parlor.
My nails are brittle,
My hair needs a color.
My clothes have lost the sheen
I need a wardrobe makeover.
But before that I've to pick up
The toys that are scattered.
I think it was last year
When I spoke to my sister.
Can't recollect the moment
When I chatted with my mother.
I'm no feminist
I'm no atheist
I know not what I'm
More than a housekeeper,
a mother and a doctor.
I may be an orator,
A painter, an artist,
A singer, a poetess,
A traveller, a cyclist,
A writer, a musician,
A craftsman, philanthropist.
The last time I tried
To find out my ability
My child scored badly
And you know what followed exactly.
So next time she got a gold medal
They praised her father's genes
I remembered my trophies
Which no one had seen.
I know not what my daughter
Will do after growing up.
But I'm sure these responsibilities
Will never stop to follow her.
Marriages are made in heaven
Love is a fairy tale.
I'm sure every working woman
Has a different story to tell.
So, whenever you look
At a house that's tidy,
A child who is happy,
Intelligent and healthy,
Remember, it's the woman behind
Who sacrificed her sleep,
her degrees, her passion
her ambitions and needs.
Give her a pat, a word of praise,
a ear to listen, a helping hand
It's always a woman
who makes the house a home.
But it's everyone's duty
To make her feel at home..