Mom taught me

how to buy apples,

how to make a bow, and how to

cut carrots, she taught me

how to sing and dance, and

how to poach an egg, and

how to catch a fish, she taught me

when to make a horse gallop,

when to glaze a ham, where

to skip and hop, where to

fly a kite, how to fake

a laugh, and how to weave a paper

place mat. Mom taught me how to

write a note, how to

pry a jar open, how to push and pull,

when to play the queen,

how to run a race, how to wash my face,

how to tap my toes, and to always, always

wear clean underwear.