It is not meant to be a poem. It is a TRUE story.

Were it just written down as a normal story, it may have had less impact.

As long as "not in my neighborhood" exists for for group homes and shelters this kind of child abuse will continue. I can't tell you how frusterateing it is to have a child or fleeing parent child combination on your case load and have nowhere safe to move them to or no realistic resources to help but a small percentage of the people who surge against "us" with overwhelming need.

The system waits until a child is so profoundly disabled before we can find a bed or jail cell to "help" children it is obscene and basiclly too late and we know it.

I am not against animals but we care more about rescueing animals in this country than we do children. Think about it almost every county has and animal shelter where it is easy to volunteer, donate, and bring an animal in crisis. But builders can make millions building shopping centers and mansions but are not required to provide houseing for OUR Chidren. Our courthouses have marble toilet stalls while children sleep in the streets.

It is entirely too easy for a child to fall into the system and basiclly become a Child Doe with NO ONE having their specific butt on the line for how they are cared for. I guarantee you if state guardians or sub-contracted guardians had criminal sactions when they fail at their job the system would be cleaned up. If every state had liability for it's children they would have to do better.

It doesn't fit the stated goal of getting kids off the state nickel but any child of the system will tell you they would much rather grown up in and orphanage with competent staff and decent facility so they could stayed put long enough to had and identity, succeeded in a school system, have extended relationships, and continuity in life than constantly being bounced around in trash bags where nothing really belongs to you and you can build no ties or property and have any contact with extended family or even siblings. We wonder why children run away from the system or turn to gangs but that is the only system that want them or offer them anything that looks like they are not invisable until they are kicked to the curb or fast tracked into the military. The state does not even follow it's own "rules" about truancy, medical care, tobacco and alcohol consuption, or even diet or acting as a legal guardian. The number of state wards that are over weight, addicted, and under educated is obscene. The number that are victims of crime once they ARE a state ward is a national disgrace.

I do find this poem being posted as a mental nudge for us all to act. But the reality is it is in itself exploitive and basiclly only attention seeking and tells the children that are in this situation that they really are worthless subjects to be pitied rather than human beings that deserve more dignity than having their misery recounted. How many people that read it will actually write a check, write a congressman, or donate time to any childrens issue but one that directly serves their child or grandchild?