No Charge (Re-Recorded)

recitation
my little boy came up to me in the kitchen this evening
while i was fixing supper
and he handed me a piece of paper he'd been writing on
and after wiping my hands on my apron i read it
and this is what it said
for mowing the yard... five dollars
for making my own bed this week... one dollar
going to the store... fifty cents
playing with little brother
while you went to the store... twenty five cents
taking out the trash... one dollar
getting a good report card... five dollars
and for raking the yard... two dollars
total owed... fourteen seventy-five
well i look at him standing there expectantly
and a thousand memories flashed thru my mind
and so i picked up the pen
and turning the paper over this is what i wrote
singing
for the nine months i carried you growing inside me... no charge
for the nights i've sat up with you
doctored you, prayed for you... no charge
for the time and the tears that you
cost thru the years... there's no charge
when you add it all up... the full cost of my love is no charge
for the nights filled with dread
and the worries ahead...