Little eyes and little ears
Learn much more than we know
About the family's inner works
Some wish would never show
The way we walk, the way we talk
The secrets we don't share
The way we speak of other folks
Can often be laid bare
The public face we each put on
As we step out our door
Is often not the same as when
We're bare foot on the floor
At birth a human baby's brain
Has program tracks untested
Data bytes begin to fill
As answers are requested
The richest source of data found
Is right there in the home
A lot of random access files
Are filled before they roam
Because they're small, adults forget
Young ears can hear just great
Osmotic pressure drinks the words
Of love as well as hate
It's like as not, those words come out
At time least opportune
And Murphy's sure to set it up
To make your great aunt swoon
A saying from my dusty past
I have not heard in years
Be mindful what you say at home
"Lil pitchers have big ears"
Richard Higley © Nov 2012
