Sunday, 10 February 2019

The arsonist



Homeless she is
Kicked out of her home
Once her hubby passed away
The children had a growing family
She was a supernumerary mouth to feed
She haunts the streets now
Collects odd pieces of wooden pallets
To lit a fire when the night comes
A bit of comfort when the world is cold
A short moment of respite 
The sound of the siren  intrudes
On her mind, a police car is here
To pick her up and charge her for arson
What was she thinking 
Lighting a fire in town?
She'll spend the night in a cell
Warm with some food
And a pallet to sleep on.

This is what welfare
Looks like in the twenty-first century.

Lucette C. Bailliet 
All rights reserved






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