Handprints

Handprints
Sticky hands and fingers,
Marks left on the wall,
Doors left swinging open,
Muddy footprints in the hall.
Children leave their traces,
Never thinking twice
That Mom and Dad must clean up
With bleach and paint and ice.
It’s often cause for heartache
When Mom’s left with the task,
But sons and daughters sometimes
Just forget to ask.
But how we miss those clean-ups
When the hallways clear,
And we’re left with only mem’ries
Of the sticky handprints dear.
‘Cause kids don’t just leave handprints,
You realize through your tears –
They’re handprints on the heart, Mom,
And they don’t disappear.
–by Kathy Dix