Waltzing Matilda

Matilda…aka: Mattie…aka: Waltzing Matilda….the first born child…after a long, protracted labor…delivered by the local Stork Lady…there were no doctors in that back woods in those days.

Mrs. Mama looked at her new born and asked the Stork Lady…isn’t her face rather odd shaped, her head kinda pointy…..ah, yours’ would be too, if you were struggling in a birth canal for hours, struggling to breathe,  the old Stork Lady sagely proclaimed.

Mattie ate…Mattie thrived… but in tiny increments…a pleasant wee bairnie… Not a wailer…but a little vacant and slow in comparison to other babies.

A year passed and the Stork Lady was back with her big black bag to deliver a 2^nd Bundle of joy, a sister for Mattie who soon met and surpassed all the goal posts Mattie sought to achieve…. no doubt. Mrs. Mama kept the Stork Lady busy, as in rapid succession she was called back to deliver Baby 3 and Baby 4, both strong, healthy sons…and a few years later…a Surprise, Baby 5, a Sister for Mattie, rounded off the family.

Mattie watched her siblings closely, finally mastering walking when she was almost 3 years old…and at last started stringing  a few recognizable words together, instead of senseless  babble, in her 5^th year.

When it was time to go to school, a worried Mrs. Mama, decided to keep her back a year and have her start with her Baby 2 Sister… but school wasn’t Mattie’s cup of tea… the teachers explained. There must be  better life for Mattie.

The Wise Mrs. Mama asked Mattie, since she was the eldest, could she stay at home and help Mama with the pickling, the clearing of the dishes off the table, the pot scrubbing, the hanging the laundry on the line outside. 

Mattie was thrilled…what could be more rewarding than pleasing your Mama.

So Mattie went through the stages in life as a valued helper, dedicating her spare time to chasing butterflies, seeking out bunny families  and whispering to the flowers in the back yard…sometimes dancing with invisible partners to music only they could hear, smiling and clapping and oh, so happy.

Don’t feel sorry for Mattie…Remember instead, her beloved Sister, Baby 2, died in childbirth, Baby 3, her brother’s life was surrendered to the Great War.  Brother, Baby 4,  returned from the war, a young man man, troubled by what he had seen and done. He drifted off, some say out West, others swear down South, never to be heard from again, but he’ll be back… so the Old Folks said. Mattie’s dear parents were taken to their Eternal Rest but she had a happy home with her Sister, Baby 5…

Sometimes, I understand, when the chores were done,  you could see them, Mattie and Sister, Baby 5,  arms entwined, twirl and waltz around the garden singing:

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda…You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me…And they sang as they danced in the garden green….”You’ll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.”        (ParaphraseAndré Rieu)