As you can see by the image I have included below, I am still, eagerly I must say, awaiting delivery of my copy of this excellent collection of poems and drawings by parents and children affected by imprisonment in the UK and abroad which has been edited by Lucy Baldwin & Ben Raikes. I’m fortunate, to not only follow Lucy on Twitter, but also, chat on threads now and again. A good friend of mine, Joe, runs an account on Twitter @PrisonStorm and had asked Lucy to send Rory Stewart a copy of the book, this then opened talks on the book, which led me to share this with Joe:

As the conversation carried on, I felt an urge to create my own poem based on the book and asked Lucy for her permission to do so. Before I share the poem, I would just like to thank Lucy for allowing me to do so.

I was a kid once in the system, it took me until I was 45 to grow up, if at all. This is the link for Waterside Press, publishers of this awesome collection of heartfelt poems and where you can order your copy, ignore my wait, I have an American Amazon account.

Waterside Press

Seen and Heard!

By

David Breakspear

Within the tome, amongst the pages you’ll find,

emotive words, from hearts & souls, of a younger kind.

Unable to vote, yet parents they lose,

Is something missing, from the headline news?

Enforced separation, societies fault?

Judgmentally! Rubbing wounds, with the proverbial salt.

To think the issue uncommon, or rare,

no empathy towards, an obligated child care.

Deprivation, isolation, loss and despair,

Societies conscience open, found, thread-bare.

Here I take the final word.

ALL our children should be SEEN and HEARD.