A mother gone
Safe warm arms
Stolen...
from her
two-year old
daughter...

New arms and faces
kindly enough
reach out to her

But she learns
...too late...
where her mother
went

Confusion and uncertainty
new faces and places
fear and
loss

no belonging place
to call her own

no okay safe place

and many very hurtful ones

...you'd better not tell

...of course not....
she forgot

she never learned to listen
no one ever heard her voice
they didn't know she had one.....
she didn't know
...she had one.

shellacked....

painted over
shoved down
no thinking or feeling
here
no talking
nobody home
covered up
with coats and coats
and layers upon layers
of
shellac
all sealed up
no life here now
no air to breathe
what life to live?
How do you do that?????

no one lives here
people look and don't see her
there

is she stuffed
like a doll?
Who is she
anyway....


new names and faces
over and over
no belonging here
no safe places

always trying

to find

acceptance

and

a place

to belong.......