Knees

What is a knee? One might assess

It’s bone and flesh and tissue

But to the one possessing it

Its use is more the issue

To her it’s how she learned to move

To crawl across the floor

And then to stand, to walk, to run

To fall and run some more

Throughout her life she’s needed knees

For work and play and leisure

But for one purpose they’ve been used

So much we can not measure

Those were the times she bent down low

And on her knees she prayed

For the children that she cared for

As they stumbled through each day

Then she’d get up and help them

Run them to and fro

While the burden of a heavy womb

Let other children grow

And now her knees are breaking down

All worn and torn and tattered

Because she chose to use them for

The things that really mattered

As I reflect on knees used up

In caring for her crew

And hips and back and feet and hands

And all that she’s been through

I know I need to thank her

For the sacrifice she’s made

For the life that she has given us

And the heavy price she’s paid  

                          ~by Kathryn Chapman 2010