Looked After Child
That is the name they call me,
Looked after
Even though, the reason of
My being here, being called
Looked after,
Is that I was not looked after.
Not by my mama. Not by a father.
Looked After Child
That is the name they give me,
Looked After
Mom was always there,
For better or for worse.
Dad was there too, sometimes.
Always an afterthought. Absent.
Forgiven, forgotten or feared.
Mom was in charge, the culprit
Condemned, alone, for the parenting.
Looked After Child
That is the name for being in care.
Being looked after,
A choice that was never my choice
My chosen choice.
The case of the child in need
Of living and caring nurture.
I am a masterpiece
A Mona Lisa in the making
About to be painted or tainted.
I have seen more than most
Abuse and abandonment
I have been through more than most
Broken and bruised and beloved.
A thing of prayer or bad luck,
Looked After.