An entertaining, affectionate account of the joys of raising boys. From quiet moments with a toddler in the middle of the night to careening down a road with a first-time driver, this delightful collection of testosterone-tinged poems is guaranteed to put a smile on the face of any mother who's been there--or is headed that way! Older moms who've lived through it will remember and laugh till they cry; younger moms, just beginning to understand that life with boys is never dull, will be forewarned! This charming second edition makes a perfect gift for any mother who has ever known firsthand the sweetness of a sticky, sweat-scented kiss, or any woman who is about to be blessed with a son. States one buyer: "One of the most touching books about a mother's relationship with her boys I have ever read!" $12.95

Welcome to My World

There is no pink in my house,
just a rough-ridged rainbow of
red, yellow, and blue Legos
(and guns--not real ones, not even toy ones,
just imaginary ones that began life
as azalea twigs and shoe horns)
that encrust my carpet
and spread like
alley cat kudzu.
Battle cries.
War whoops.
Raucous laughter.
Loud burps.
Silence, if it comes,
sits only long enough for mealtime grace.
Even then, testosterone rears its rowdy head:
Me do it!
No, me!!
No, me!!!
Thanks get returned in triplicate
at 80 decibels and 90 miles an hour,
as each one tries to make sure
his words
get to God
first.

From A Mother of Sons (Loyola Press, 2004)