my child
where have you gone
my fingers are writhing in pain
i cannot get up from the floor
my bedsores are festering
i think i found a maggot
just the other day

my child
what have you done
who is supposed to change my bed sheets
i can’t move
let alone remember where the bed sheets are
you can’t expect me to do all of this by myself

my child
where have you been
i haven’t bought groceries in weeks
i haven’t had much to eat
at all
i think this tuna fish is bad
but i can’t taste a thing

my child
where are you going
sometimes in the night
i cry out for help
but no one will come
because no one is here

i remember
my child
when you were young
we were young
and i would hold you
close to me
and you would smile
and the world was secure
and our world was secure
and it was warm
and comforting
and it was home

but this house
this empty house
is an empty shell
an empty shell like me
i wish you would come home
i could make us dinner
like the old times
and you could fix my heater
because it’s cold here
so very cold