the day after the social worker phoned,
Remember To Leave Reality At Home
the voice from behind the curtains boomed.
She said Ray, have you left ‘ality at home?
I nodded and laughed. She frowned
and asked What is ‘ality, Ray?
as if I were The Light, The Truth and The Way
and would never dream of letting her down.

And when the school report suggests
she’s below average intelligence
I recall how she came up with this
House Mouse - that rhymes
Dog Frog - that rhymes 
Bollocks Wollocks - that rhymes
and I know that she’ll go far, this kid. 

And when some social worker’s statement
describes her in her current placement
as settled, happy and confident,
it strikes me like a punishment
and I realise that we’ve been wrong
to make believe that this was home.

And when the kindly voices ask
did you find it hard not to get attached?
I should wear my failure like a badge,
bare the wound and let them scratch.
But I’ll bite my tongue and shake my head -
Writing is like drawing, she said.
Draw the poison that burns the bone;
remember to leave reality at home.