mama, i want to be a gangster,
declared this beautiful son of mine
white saucers on his face beaming
standing tall and clever
he stood in the middle of the room
in the quiet whirl of a room where devices have been
extinguished for the day
maaaama! I\'m going to be a gangster
came the declaration
delivered with innocent motivation and firm conviction
my ears heard my mind rejected the pronouncement
i paused gathering the words threatening to run away
and sweetly asked
what does a gangster do?
he stands up in court mama
speaks to the old man who\'s always cold
reads from big books bangs the table and shouts
and everyone listens!
i wanted to laugh
with relief and mirth
but softened my buttery voice
as much as i could muster
and corrected the little bugger
you want to be a barrister son
yes, that kind of gangster.