Yes, it's Mother's Day...that wonderful day of the year when we honor those special women in our lives who gave us life (biologically or otherwise). Hallmark and friends keeps the stores stocked with countless cards (cheesy and otherwise) that are supposed to express our true feelings for mom. We never know what we'll find in a card these days...corny poems, silly and irreverent messages, pictures of animals dressed as people, music, and even recordable devices, with which you can create your own personalized message.
You may have seen the MOTHER poem -- it's been around forever and falls into what I'd call the "cheesy" category.
M-O-T-H-E-R
"M" is for the million things she gave me,
"O" means only that she's growing old,
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her heart of purest gold;
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
"R" means right, and right she'll always be,
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.
I just learned today that the poem is actually what you call a "backronym" because an acronym takes an existing set of phrases and creates the word from the first letter of them. This poem does just the opposite. Am I the only nerd that thinks that's kind of an interesting nugget of knowledge? Food for the brain...derived from cheese (cheesy poetry, that is).
Anyhooooo.... I was thinking about this cornball, cliche of a backronym and how I could create something a little more realistic and less cheddariffic. Here goes:
M-O-T-H-E-R (the slightly less cheesy version)
"M" is for the million socks she picked up for me,
"O" means optimistic -- she's the queen,
"T" is for the trouble from which she saved me,
"H" is for the house she keeps mostly clean;
"E" is the edge of sanity she's always walking,
"R" means right, and right she'll always be, (I'm keeping that line!)
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.
That poem seems a little more realistic and modern to me! Happy Mother's Day to all you mamas out there (cheesy and otherwise)!
Hi Angie! Once again you make me laugh, laugh, laugh!!! I have never heard of a "backronym" but, like you, am actually excited to know this new little nuggget of knowledge! As for the poems...I made a card in second grade with the first "MOTHER" poem (it's still at my dad's house, adorned with it's original pink crepe paper flower). I remember thinking at that time that it was such a clever idea!!! I suppose we all have a Mother's Day card or two like that lurking in our past!
ReplyDeleteHope you are enjoying a fun,happy and relaxing day my friend. Thanks so much for the great post (as always)!
Warmly,
Tracey
x0x
Perfect! Love it. Your version is more like a delightfully smoked Gouda served on delicious whole grain crackers.
ReplyDeleteWhen my son was in 1st or 2nd grade - and I shall never forget this as long as I have breath in my body - his class had to make Father's Day cards, using the word FATHER and making a little 'backronym' poem out of it. The first few words is all I remember... F is for the fatness.... I love my son to pieces. I was tickled to death, really I was.
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