How
do you plant the seed of life
and watch it grow to half its height
Then
walk away and don't look back
upon
the child you brought to life?
This child's an interruption to your orderly life,
so throw him away, out into the night.
Leave
it to me and your neighbor to care
for the child you worked and labored to bare.
As a child of my heart I hold him dear,
but
it's not the same for him I fear.
It's his mothers love and gentle touch
he dreams about and wants so much.
I'm
not his mother, but he knows I care,
so it's to me he comes, his heart to bare.
I hold him close to ease his fears,
grit my teeth and dry my tears.
I hide my anger deep inside,
and commit myself to telling lies.
For
I can't tell this child I hold
that his parents hearts are barren and cold.
So I hold him close and tell him lies,
to ease the pain he holds inside.
I say you love him and it'll be alright
and in the mean time I'll hold him tight.
I'll give him a home, family and love,
a shoulder to cry on and someone to hug.
Or a kick in the pants, if that's what he needs
to take life's chances and follow his dreams.
DLewis
10/98
This poem is directed at those people in this world who have children and half way through the process of raising them decide that they no longer want the job.
My biological children often laughingly refer to our home as a 'half-way
house', because I seem to be forever raising someone else's children. I
am not a foster mom and the only recompense I want or receive is the love
of my 'kids'. I'm not rich or even financially comfortable.
I don't live in a big fine house. I'm just an ordinary single Mom
trying to make ends meet the best way I can. The only thing I have
a lot of is love and the willingness to show it.
I usually get my kids in their early teens when they are just beginning
to try and find their place in the world. Their parents will kick them
out of the house, usually because they are not conforming to some pre-conceived
notion of who they will grow up to be, and they will find one of my kids
and be brought to my house.
The sad thing is that I don't give them anything that they wouldn't much
rather receive from their own parents! I make them eat and go to
bed at a decent hour, clean house and take out the garbage. I make
them do homework, ground them and fuss at them when they mess up.
I give them love, understanding and discipline. I listen to their
heartaches and worries, provide the best counsel I can and give them the
freedom to find their own way in life. I get upset and frustrated
with both your kids and mine. The difference is, I don't give up.
As much as I love all of my 'kids', it really angers me that they have
to find me in the first place.
They
shouldn't have to go somewhere else to be listened to and encouraged and
shown a little love and compassion. They should be able to find these
things in their own homes. But as long as you keep quitting your
job, I will be here to finish it. I just wish that we lived in a
world where there was no need for me to worry about it.