On Trashed Babies

A child was born to a child today

And out of fear was thrown away.

Afraid of what her parents would think,

From this responsibility she did shrink.



It was found in a dumpter with the trash,

A perfectly good child almost in the garbage truck mashed,

But a kind stranger dug it up

And rushed it to a hospital, passing deaths cup.



Where have our senses went

When our children fear telling us of such a blessed event.

Our past actions have put them at risk.

We are so busy the signals we miss.



There is no point in placing blame.

The children want to grow up too fast and that is a shame.

What's done is done, just let it go

Get on with helping this new life grow.



How do we prevent an unwanted child?

That question has driven more than one wild.

Who is to explain the birds and the bees?

Mom, Dad, the teachers? PUULLLLEEEAAASSSSEEE!!!



If you tell them too soon, you condon premarital sex.

If you tell them too late, your daughter could be next.

There is not an easy fix to the dilema now,

But when a childs life is at stake, you gotta hitch the plow.



As a parent it is hard to admit we failed

But the biggest failure would be to let mom and child ail.

No greater sin on earth

Than to damn a mother for giving birth.



We all are here to make mistakes and learn

It is how we profit that will determine if we burn.

Love your children and be very open and caring

Talk to them and mostly listen to what they are sharing.



Communication must not be cut due to fear

Or the warnings of a new life, you will not hear.

Be straight with your children, but ready to bend

So it won't be your grand child pulled out of that bin.

Author's Notes/Comments: 

News this morning talked about baby Rachel that was pulled out of the trash
where her 13 year old mother had placed her. If you have children around this
age, this may be a good topic to discuss to find out how they would handle the
situation, how they feel about it and explore and share your feelings on the
subject.  The key is sharing open and honest feelings and let them share
likewise.  You want them to be able to come to you no matter what, with out fear
of humiliation, degradation, or reprisal.  You want them to know that you will
support and back them up, but there are consequences of their actions that they
will have to bear, but they won't have to do it alone.  They will need to learn
to weigh the consequences with the desired outcome to determine if their
decision was a good one.

This poem was hard to write.  To many mixed feelings getting in the way.  On one
side a child having a child on the other parents who will be devastated, but
will get over it and cope.  The new mother carrying the guilt also knowing "she
is doing this to her parents, panics into a second bad decision", but the
justice system wants to punish this child who barely knows what she has done.
Wouldn't it be better to let her work out this mistake with her parents rather
than ruin her life.  What about the father (who was 14)?  Are they going to ruin
his life also?  There must be consequences, but locking up the father and mother
isn't the answer.

This poem is dedicated to all the unwanted babies.

View hhickson's Full Portfolio