My Mother once told me,
a long time ago,
that if I ate all my broccoli
my hair would grow.

I was not convinced;
I knew it wasn't true,
as I never ate my broccoli
but my hair still grew.

She assured me that spinach
would make me grow strong.
I still didn't eat it,
just to prove her wrong.

She said carrots would help me
to see in the dark
"but with a torch, I'll see better"
I would remark.

She'd try bribery, she'd cajole,
try to con me outright,
I was not eating those vegetables,
not without a fight!

Those very same words
I now hear myself say,
to my own children at meal times
and to my dismay...

I can see in their faces
they think it's all crock.
They are very definitely
a chip off my block.

And when I told my mother
what my children do,
she chuckled and said
"they are just like you!"