brown house now blue
gray hair then and now too
Ma in rocker knitting
Pa in recliner

fear crawls up my spine
my bags packed, all that is mine
social worker pressures shoulder
keeps me from running

dinner together, conversation and laughter
alien world, foreign notions – food a plenty
tears delay that first night,
though hard fought, buried deep

rules, responsibility, chores
wake up myself for school
wash dishes, mow lawns
allowance? what’s that?

foster brother and i
share smokes and stories
on the front patio
now enclosed, then exposed

three years teach me, show me love me
five years gone, back i come to make right
show them i’ve found the light
love unconditional, no exceptions

dc bound, to find my way
just call anytime
no questions asked
you can always come home

breast cancer scare,
tears unhindered
stream down my cheeks
fear strikes deep and hard

twenty years later, college bound
ma and pa, rhonda and greg
come to see the sites,
nope!
to see me off, wish me well, show me love

the family i didn’t choose
forced upon me by action of youth
became the one that mattered most
showed me the truth of love itself