I just re discovered this poem and had to re type it as it was written on an old style lap top

Its all exactly as the poem says...apart maybe from Divine Intervention...don't wat to be struck dead yet folks.

Alcohol Free Day (or Mum’s Wake). - 1993

Mum would have been proud of us all, (if she’d been about)
Of our total abstinence; and surprised no doubt,
That the day of her funeral was alcohol free
And that her five daughters drank just coffee or tea.

A life long teetotaller… “I’ll just have lemonade again”,
She’d giggle like a girl, drinking ‘first date champagne’.
“I just don’t like the smell, that’s all, you go right ahead”;
smiling with amusement and shaking her old sober head.

Outside our motel it was cold enough to snow.
The rain slashed like ice and dark clouds lay low.
Around her photo-shrine, was held mum’s impromptu wake,
As bottles circulated, Mum’s past became awake.

There was Jackie’s duty-free and Joanie’s Johnny Walker.
And June with her O.P. Rum; my goodness what a talker.
Veronica bought her wine, of that we can be sure,
And didn’t I drink a whole bottle of Para Port liqueur?

The kids and husbands sat amazed and quite spell bound,
With the stories growing louder and raucous laughter going round.
“Remember when the full chamber pot upended, right upon Mum’s head?
When the dog dragged a rare chook home from Scriven’s farm… was it really dead?
Or did Mum have to kill it…so badly was it mauled?
What happened to that big shotgun, she’d take out late if anybody called?
And what about the time she reported you to the Newcastle police.
Ooops! Don’t tell us you never knew about that one; we thought you did Therese.”

“Haw! Haw! Haw!” We hurt our mouths laughing and in tears.
Mum sure chalked up some curiosities, over all the years.
Years of her arrivals with plastic bag supplies
Just like a city bag lady, excepting for her eyes.

The drunker that we got all day, the more we did recall.
And the sainted photo of our smiling Mum, she got to hear it all.
All about those undies she bought … too big and just so plain,
All about the coats and umbrellas, we drank and masked the pain.

Came the night the alcohol was well and truly gone.
We headed to our welcome beds, each one on their own.
Our heads went spinning backwards; sleep came in a crazy spiral sinking,
“I’ll never drink again”, was the thought that each one of us was thinking.

The day dawned; we woke; no headaches and we had to wonder why.
We figured Mum had some words, with all the powers high.
The day flowed on and all we drank was purely alcohol free.
Toasting our dear old “lemonade Mum”, with coffee, cake and tea.

Therese