Wilderness
By Kelley Jean White
I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness —John 1:23
I don’t recognize the name on the chart
A brand new social worker’s brought him in
Can’t say where the burns end and healings start
She can’t say why the family came apart
Or how the injuries occurred or when
I don’t recognize the name on the chart
We peel the t-shirt off, old blisters pop
Second degree burns, back, buttocks’ skin
Can’t say where the burns end and healings start
I take him on my lap to hear his heart
Auck, he's two years old, and I’m all in
I don’t recognize the name on the chart
Is this abuse? Will I make a report?
Kids spill tea on their fronts, they don’t back in—
Can’t say where the burns end and healings start
He’s Ihsayah Ishma-el Bonaparte
Maternal grandmother is next of kin
I don’t recognize the name on the chart
Can’t say where the burns end and healings start
Copyright © 2020 by Kelley Jean White.