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I Remember

I Remember

I remember when I was three
We moved to my granny’s house
With my baby sister

I remember the gate behind
The cherry tree that led
to the garden where granny’s sister lived

I remember the pink bedroom
with white cosy blankets
And the sound of my granny sleeping

I remember my mum and dad dancing
Baking cakes on a Sunday
and every day was like Christmas day

I remember last week when I met Emma
I went into her house as the door was open
And I heard her mother’s voice

I remember seeing her curled up in her cot
So tired and hungry she couldn’t cry
With arms reaching out between the bars

I remember the dirty clothes and the smell of neglect
and cider with no food or nappies
and a room full of strangers in uniform

I remember “Ally-Bally”
As if a song would make it all better
And the final shock when I saw the uniform

The carer’s uniform
of the mother
who could not care for her child

I remember my childhood
and thought……
Why can’t it be like that for every child?