Andrew Penwarden
Children
She was born with bronchitis,
She and her 3 white children
Have frequently slept in the open air.
Her 13 year old ran away for 3 days,
Because they had nothing to eat,
Her mother’s giro being late.
After losing her temper in the Post Office
She was bound over for a year,
Would have gone to prison
Were it not for the children.
Today they had all walked into town,
So they could afford to eat on arrival,
The 3 children are a credit to her
While eating their one meal a day.
Next down to the civic centre
To try and get a move
From a 2 bedroomed cottage with no cooker.
The council don’t like them very much.
Her black dress is her only dress,
Her hair is unwashed,
Her daughter dreams of a boyfriend.
She can’t register with a doctor,
Her children seldom go to school,
She goes into the toilet to spit.
Page(s) 27-28
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