iamartofmothering

A Girl Named Marabell-lee

By Zaynab Abdullah

 

Marabell-lee was a little girl

Whose father was a father

And whose mother was a mother

As it was plain to see.

He paid the bills

She made the meals

And Marabelle-lee

Went off to play

With dolls and balls and coloring books

To pass the time away.

When father was home

The table was set

And Marabelle-lee sat to eat

With Daddy at the head

And Mommy at the feet

They both began to speak.

Mommy talked of meals and things

And sometimes Marabelle-lee

Of what she needed

And when she needed

And would he (Daddy)

Spend time with (me).

And…

Daddy talked of work and needs

And providing for family

Of little time

The extra time

To spend

With (she and me)

All went well like that…

Marabell-lee was happy

With father gone

And mommy home

And, she in playful glee.

Beginning the Journey

It was the way she found it to be.

Now, Marabelle-lee grew up so tall – and so beautifully.

And when she was 10

The dolls, the balls, the coloring books

Faded into history

Replaced by looks, and girls, and guys, and butterflies

Surrounding Marabelle-lee.

And at the table now she sat

Between mommy and daddy.

She looked to the right

She looked to the left

Exploring “which is me?”

Composing a picture creatively

She found herself alone

And without the glee

She pondered…

“Well, which one of me is Mommy and which one of me is Daddy?”

And so begins the utmost journey of a girl named,

Marabelle-lee.