Thou
Shall respect
Thy mother and father
Because without
Thy mother and father
You would not have
Thy long talks of your future,
Thy one pair of pants you hate
But are forced to wear them,
Embarrassment at thy movies
With thy friends,
Thy piano lessons
On your Sundays,
Thy spit to clean off food
From your cheek,
Thy inherited big nose,
Or even
Thy weekly lecture.
Thou
Shall respect
Thy sister and brother
Because without
Thy sister and brother
You would not have
Complete chaos at home,
Bruises upon thy leg,
Thy toys thrown about,
Thy clothes disappearing,
Thy mud pies in the backyard,
Constant knocking on thy door,
Or even
Thy weekly blaming.
Thou
Shall respect
Thy grandma and grandpa
Because without
Thy grandma and grandpa
You would not have
Thy itchy sweater forced on you
During Christmas,
Thy family quilt
Which smells like baby powder,
Thy fishing lesson at 5 o’clock am,
Thy story of thy war,
Thy mother and father,
Thy loud snoring
When they come to visit,
Or even
Thy weekly “did you get taller?”
Thou
Shall respect
Thy family
Because without
Thy family
You would not have
Thy hug,
Thy care,
Thy home,
Thy life,
Thy smile,
Thy enjoyment,
Or even
Thy daily love.