American Foster Mother Poem by Doug Lane

American foster mother
you brought your bottomless,
unconditional,
love
to Ceacescu's Rumania

and learned that some things,
some orphans,
are so broken
that all the love
and faith
in the world
can't fix them.

So you learned
to give them
clean sheets
and three squares
and the knowledge
your love
was always there
for them

though they
could never
love back,

though they were wet leaves
in a freezing forest night
that could never ignite
no matter
what flame
you held
to them.