House number seven

Being just two when my parents got arrested,
for abusing me and my sisters,

I was thrown in,
the system was bare,
powdered milk spilled everywhere,
toys scattered on the floor,

my first "new"  mommy was nice,
she made me promise to tell the guy in a black suit all "good things",
I was scared, when I first got lice, but mommy said "it was natural"
she just washed them out

I never saw many things moving as these little black things did
Mommy didn't like going outside much
I picked them up and put them on mommy when they fell,

she screamed and yelled, and hit me with the belt,
the other girls told me I was lucky I was "new",
but my treatment would come soon,

I thought I was going to get my nails done like my aunt always did for me,
every year she came up to give us the "treatment" at my old mommy's house,

my new mommy gave me candy whenever the guy in the black suit came over
I rarely ate so I was just so excited,
the guy kept asking me all these questions about the bruises, and cuts,
but I just kept saying "CANDY, CANDY"

I told him mommy told me about bugs "I saw my first bug two days ago".
now being four, I barely got to go outside, but mommy said "You are going to school soon"
A few days later, these men in black and blue came to the door,

they took my new mommy away with this big dog,
I got scared, he kept barking at the shelves,
house number 1 was just a start for what was to come,

house number 2,
I barely got food,
their was so many "brothers and sisters" everywhere
they said I had to be quicker,
Abby always gave me some when no one was looking,
she said "no one likes the newbies,

house number 3,
there was never time to pee,
mommy was always in the bathroom with strange men,
I kept going to the doctors, for check ups because it hurt to go potty,
mommy said she did not know why,

house number 4,
daddy was really poor, he used his "monies" from us to fix his truck,
he said "I cried to much",
he called the guy in the black suit,
and I left the next day,
he said "I love you" when I left"
what does that mean?,


house number 5,
my brother always lied,
I got in too much trouble is what the guy in the black suit said,
I cried when I left

house number 6,
I turned six when I arrived, my new mommy liked to be called "Mom",
it was weird,
she made me do the dishes,
and mop the floors,
one time I spilled the soaps everywhere,
MOM was so mad,
the guy in the black suit picked me up three days later,

house number 7,
I was just seven now and I thought I would leave in a few weeks,
this mommy wanted me to call her  "Amber",
it was just me and her, and I kept crying all the times,
I thought Amber was not my mommy and she was going to call the guy in the black suit,

I spilled the paint when we did MY ROOM,
and she gave me cookies and milk,
I peed my NEW BED twice and she held me in this little ball,
the worst part was when she said "I love you"

I started to cry, and scream and ran to the bathroom,
I did not come out for 3 hours and accidentally locked myself in,
some guy with a big belt had to come over, and get me out,
I ran to my room, and hid under the bed, and when Amber came in I said "give me a bag"

she asked why, and I said "the man in the black suit is coming tommorow",
she said "what man?" I told her the story of house number 4 daddy, and the man that gets me,
Amber came under the bed and we just layed for awhile,

she started to gag, and sob, and held me in that icky ball,
it felt weird, but in a good way,
I never felt like that before,

Amber held me so warm, and said I was hers forever,
she told me she was never letting me go,
and that love meant, we always care for you,

I did not understand my daddy,
but she told me, she was here forever and I could call her anything I want,

I was twenty-two and still lived with my dear Amber,
Amber was only thirty-eight now but I knew then Amber saved my life,
Amber was the only person in the world, I wanted to be like,

She stuck through it all,
my fear of the dark,
or the bathroom alone,
the kitchen pans,
and the laundry room,

Amber is my hero,
and my house number seven,

I love you too Amber