The Boy I Never Knew:

Breathing slowly

Staring out the window

But feeling the tautness of the air

Up front a gurgled cry

Breaks the almost solid air

Waiting

Staring at the two-story house

Seeing the mold clinging to the house

The windows each with plastic hugging in the warmth

The ground muddy for spring

The small boy shamefully

Going down the broken, concrete steps

Then up into my world

Once more the gurgled cry goes up

The boy is strapped down

Quietly taking it on

Oh what heart he must have

To go on

To take this daily

Oh I would never take the pain

Feeling barely his shame

And my heart breaks