Poems about kids

Okay, so when I went back to the readwritepoem site (so much fun and cool people) I took their Read Write Poll about what most people write poems about. My top three choices are (1) my kids, (2) objects, (3) nature. I think "myself" is a redundant category --you can't write a poem without exposing/writing about/being yourself. Anyway --

The results surprised me. After you take the poll, they show you how you rank. In case the rankings change before you (whoever you are) get there, here's what the results were when I took the poll. Am I really the only person who writes about my kids? What does that say about us as writers? As mothers? I wish I could find the quote from (I think it was) Julia Alvarez who said of course she writes poems about her family. That's what she spends most of her time doing, that's her material.

The other side of the argument was nicely put by Adrienne Rich (in her book the name of which I will insert here when I get home from work) that poetry is the only place where she doesn't have to take care of her kids. Hence, she chose not to write about them.

Hmmmmmm-------

THE READ WRITE POLL

I most often write poems about (choose as many as three):

Memories (35%, 14 Votes)
Feelings (35%, 14 Votes)
Myself (30%, 12 Votes)
Nature (28%, 11 Votes)
Spirituality (23%, 9 Votes)
Love (20%, 8 Votes)
Strangers / people I don’t know (18%, 7 Votes)
Ideas (15%, 6 Votes)
Fantasies (13%, 5 Votes)
Objects (10%, 4 Votes)
My mother (8%, 3 Votes)
Other family members (5%, 2 Votes)
My father (5%, 2 Votes)
Politics (3%, 1 Votes)
My kids (3%, 1 Votes)
Animals (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 40