The Mother's Defense

My mother wrote this about my youngest brother, David, in 1963~

The Mother's Defense

How many times in the past thirteen years,
Have I sat in this chair and rocked away tears?
I am now in the process of lulling wee Five
Fast to sleep in his room with a soft lullabye.
Away Mr Conscience, "You'll spoil him," you say?
"He'll never be self-reliant that way?"
My only defense~see he closes his eyes~
My heart nearly breaks when a little one cries.

Philip, 20, was looking over my shoulder and saw this was about Uncle David. "Dear Uncle David," he said. "I wish he lived down here too." He had just said that he wished my mother lived with us.