And Mommy Works in the Pink Building

Most of the men work in the grey buildings
Or the buildings with little windows
Or big windows
Or interesting architecture

And Mommy?

Mommy works in the pink building

Mommy goes to work
And tells men she's afraid
She says, 'I'm afraid I can't do that, Jim.  But thanks for the suggestion.'
She says, 'I'm afraid Bob that I can't allow you to talk down to me like that.'

Mommy says she must look much shorter than she is
Because men just love talking down to her

Mommy works in the pink building
Where she has to swear a lot

'Boys don't like it when I swear,' Mommy says
'So whenever I want to remind them
That I can do whatever they can do
I remind them first that I can swear'

But Mommy, I say to her, Isn't swearing bad?

And she says, 'It's not as bad as letting people think you're a doormat.'

Nobody would think my Mommy's a doormat
Because I never see her lay down
Or sleep
Or even sit on the couch
And watch tv

She works in the pink building all day
And then comes home
And does a million things
And then gets up the next day
And does it all over again

'Mommy,' I say, 'What did you do at work today?'

And she says, 'I had to fire someone'
And I say, 'Did you put them out afterwards?'
And she says, 'No, I didn't.  I couldn't.'

And then she gets upset
And leaves the table

Sometimes I think Mommy would like it
If she didn't work in the pink building
Or any building at all
Because I can see that some days are hard

I tell her I'm sorry she has to work
And she smiles at me
And says everybody has some kind of work to do
And her work is in the pink building
And being sad and going to work anyway
Means you're strong

Like when I don't want to go to school
But I do anyway, I ask

And she says, 'Yes, you're very strong.  Probably stronger than your Mom.'

And she may be right
Because my school
Isn't even pink

Mommy works in the pink building
But it's a very special kind of pink

That only Mommy and me
Can see

And when I ask her why
She says--

'Because girls see everything a little bit different than boys do, and that's okay.'

I tell Mommy I like seeing the building pink
And she says she does too

And she says that sometimes
That makes it easier to work there
And that sometimes
It reminds her
That no matter what happens there
She's still a girl, and a mom
And a good worker too

'And,' she says, 'It reminds me I can be all three.'

And I tell her she's wrong

I tell her she's a lot more
Than just three things

'A lot more, Mom,' I say--

'Like more than I can count'

And she hands me my pink lunchbox
And sends me off to school

And she's right

I feel a little bit stronger
Just knowing
I'm on my way
To work