To The Ones
To the ones who recently left the shelter for home
They didn’t prepare you for this
This didn’t turn out how you planned
You waited and waited
9 weeks
16 months
4 years
Finally she came
Now you are home
But
There is no work for mom
There is no school for you
It’s cold and coal is running low
Sometimes your uncle comes to the ger
Fists swinging
Drunk
But there’s nowhere to go
Everywhere is closed
You wouldn’t trade this chance to live with your family
But you’re cold
and hungry
and sometimes scared
When you feel alone
You are not forgotten
This won’t last forever
Hold on just a little longer
To the ones who had to leave the shelter and can’t find work
They didn’t prepare you for this
This didn’t turn out how you had planned
What do you do when you’re too old and too young
The world shut down your already limited options
Sharing a small room with friends
Combining meager resources
For something to eat and somewhere to sleep
Wondering where to go from here
When you feel alone
You are not forgotten
This won’t last forever
Hold on just a little longer
To the new mom
They didn’t prepare you for this
This didn’t turn out how you had planned
You didn’t have a chance to learn to raise yourself
Before learning to raise another
You want to raise her loved in ways that you were not
But without support, your love alone won’t be able to stop the cycle
You are overwhelmed
But you are not forgotten
This won’t last forever
Hold on just a little longer
To the ones still at the shelter
You weren’t prepared for this
This didn’t turn out how you had planned
She dropped you off and said she’d be back soon
That was
9 weeks
16 months
4 years ago
Sometimes the teachers care
Sometimes they don’t
Sometimes you have friends
Sometimes you don’t
Here the strongest survive
But you don’t always feel strong
Sometimes you don’t want to survive
You are not alone
When you feel forgotten
This won’t last forever
Hold on just a little longer
To the ones no longer with us
We weren’t prepared for this
This didn’t turn out how we had planned
Your departure was too sudden
We understand why you did it
You felt alone
(Though you weren’t forgotten)
Who is to say I wouldn’t have made the same choice
Had I been you
But had I been you
I wonder,
Would you have told me these things instead?
You are not alone
You are not forgotten
This won’t last forever
Wait for the darkness to break
