Chapter 8. The Life I Deserved. Poem by Katherine Shaw

Mum and dad always spoiled me rotten
Because my deplorable years were never forgotten
Mum used to buy me expensive things
From designer clothes to solid gold rings
Dad was employed as an Office Clerk
Worked constantly from dawn to dark
But it was okay as I had my Aunty Rita
She was married to my Uncle Peter
Rita was great but Peter was not
I remember him moaning and shouting a lot
My Aunty Rita was my mum's twin sister
They stuck together like a sock to a blister
If mum was busy, Rita would be there
Easing the workload, sharing the care
Mum and Rita were like two peas in a pod
But Rita was funny and a little bit odd,
Not in a bad way, she was just a little aloof
Her weird habits and strange ways were enough proof

One day, Aunty Rita came in with a black eye
'I walked into a door' she said with a sigh
We all knew it was caused by Uncle Peter
When he was drunk he used to beat her
Soon after that, she caught him playing away
Started divorce proceedings the very next day
She had a party when the divorce came through
She partied happily, well, why would she be blue?
She partied hard, danced the night away
But at the end of the night she stated to sway
Aunty Rita had a bad heart
And for this she kept a chart.
I don't know what the chart was for
Just knew she couldn't go above 10 or more
She wasn't allowed to be under duress
Wasn't to be subjected to any stress
I often asked Rita about my real mum
She said 'Forget it, she was nothing but scum.'
Said my that dad was just as bad
And of their absence I should be glad
So I put the questions to the back of my head
As far as I was concerned mum and dad were both dead