When the Good Lord was creating Mothers 
he was into his sixth day of "overtime" 
when the angel appeared and said, 
"You're doing alot of fiddling on this one."
And the Lord said, 
"Have you read the spec on this order?"
She has to be completely washable, 
but not plastic.
Have 180 moveable parts
all replaceable.
Run on black coffee and leftovers.
A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair.
And six pairs of hands.
The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands-on way."
It's not the hands that are 
causing me problems,
 said the Lord. 
"It's the three pairs of eyes
that Mothers have to have."
"That's on the standard model?" 
asked the angel.
The lord nodded,
"One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, 
What are you kids doing in there? 
When she already knows, 
Another in the back of head that sees 
what she shouldn't but has to know, 
and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say, 
I understand and I love you' 
without so much as uttering a word."
"Lord," said the angel touching 
his sleeve gently, 
"Come to bed. Tomorrow..."
" I can't," said the Lord. 
"I'm so close to creating 
something so close to myself.

Already I have one who heals 
herself when she is sick can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger 
and can get a nine-year-old 
to stand under a shower."

The angel circled the model 
of a Mother very slowly.
"It's too soft," she sighed.
"But tough!" 
said the Lord excitedly. 

"You cannot imagine what this 
Mother can do or endure."
"Can it think?"
"Not only think, 
but it can reason and compromise," 
said the Creator.
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her fingers across the cheek.
"There's a leak." 
she pronounced, 
"I told you you were trying
to put too much into this model."
"It's not a leak," 
said the Lord, 
"It's a tear."
"What's it for?"
"It's for sadness,
disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride."
"You are a genius," 
said the angel.
The Lord looked somber.
"I didn't put it there."