When All of Our Children are Married and Gone…by Robert M. Katzman
(originally written in 1995, it has since been published in my second book, Escaping and Embracing the Cops of Chicago, in 2004)
When all of our children are married and gone
Our old home will be ours alone
No more towels and coats and books on the floor
We regain possession of the phone
No more lizards, newts, turtles and snakes
No more dogs, parrots and cats
Our private zoo will have slithered away
Of sure, we’ll miss all of that