Nadja Moore

They should have left me there

They should have left me there
To rot. The dog and I watched tv,
Looked outside the window,
Pretended to be mother and son,
Got bored and found ourselves
Covered in a thick blanket,
Indenting that warm spot
on the mattress.
What they thought a ten-year-old
Girl would do with herself
I do not know.
I might have eaten an entire box
Of chocolate fingers, stollen
A few gulps of wine with my eyes
Glued to the doorknob.
I’ve done it all and revel still
In the taste of liquor.
But I was hopeful then,
That’s the difference.