The Step Mother And The Guest Room. Poem by Jessica Hawkes

We want you to feel welcome here,
she said,
packing away your essence.
We want you to feel at home here,
she said,
cramming the memories of you into a wardrobe,
already full of herself and her things,
after removing them from the drawers you once owned,
but now do not.
We want you to feel calm here
she said,
frenzying the storm of emotions around your ghost,
embalming you in havoc and tension,
We want you to feel loved here,
she said,
changing your image into one more like
your dads new 'family'.his new life,
We want you to want to be here
she said,
removing all evidence of your existence,
treating the room like the scene of a crime,
one she had committed,
and was now freeing herself from.
We love you here
she said.