WHO CARED?

When she pressed you to her breasts
That very first time, kissed your sweet soft
Cheeks and looked deep into your eyes
I wonder what she thought you would become.

When she rocked you tenderly, did she also sing
Or was she silent, staring into a dark lonely space
Filled with skeletons from long ago?

Did she soothe your swollen gums when you
Cried late at night with teeth raising hell in
Your tender little mouth? Or did the fever consume
You while you screamed all alone?

Did she hold out her hand when you took your
First step – or watch you fall flat on your face?
Did she walk you to kindergarten and cry as she
Let go – or push you out the door hungry,
Alone and afraid?

Who taught you about becoming a man, about
Being a teenage boy and staying out of trouble?
Did you ever feel loved or just abandoned and unwanted?
What turn in life brought you to this place?

When she pressed you to her breasts
That very first time, kissed your sweet soft
Cheeks and looked deep into your eyes
Could she ever have known that at age forty-five

Her precious child would be trying to survive
By fishing for food amidst garbage and flies?