Dish Me

Dishes, Dishes, oh what wonderful dishes!
The suds, the foam, oh no mom's home
We're just starting, the kitchen a complete mess
But with 4 hungry children who would expect less

She calls each name, "Jared, Faith, Maya, Joel!"
"Dried corn flakes are caked upon the cereal bowls!"
"And will you look at the stove, all nice and greasy!"
"My goodness children, "The floor needs a squeegee"

So the twenty year olds all point their fingers
At 16 year old Faith, in the bathroom she lingers
"We've been waiting for her." older brother Joel says
Maya adds "Yeah that's right, we though she was dead."

"And Jared, what's your dang excuse?"
"Please tell me you wise little goose."
"Well, Joel's never here and maybe Maya sometimes"
"And I've been in the Dominican Republic lovin' sunshine"

"Okay that's nice. What more can be said."
All the twenty year olds begin to scratch their heads.
"We need a miracle, oh what shall we do?"
"Faith's in the bathroom takin' the longest pooh."

"That's not true!" screams a voice through the wall."
All them twenty year olds are straight off the ball."
I been sitting here with a sponge in me hand
While you geezers out there been acting like hams."

And with the snap her fingers and a blink of an eye
She dashed to the kitchen and cleaned them dishes dry
The twenty year olds and mama stood shocked
"She's a dish witch." their voices carried down the block

Papa Oubre woke up and put in his teeth
Upon reaching the scene they had dropped to his feet.
"Enough of this dishes and witches, I been trying to sleep
Like my papa told me, talk is cheap."

Dishes, Dishes, oh what wonderful dishes! He says with a clatter
You stubborn fools, here's the truth of the matter
"They always say the youngest learn from the rest"
"But in the end, they do the dishes best"


(A taste of my recovery life back home in Pleasant Hill, CA)