Winnie the Pooh
and Tigger too
couldn’t have dreamed
of a world like this.
A world where kids
stay doped up
on Ritalin and Prozac,
while drug dealers
work the swing sets
and slides
of a local playground.
A world where kids
with guns and the will to kill
run the streets
with cold, hard eyes –
their consciences seared
by the flames of abuse
and neglect.
A world where the innocent
pay for the crimes
of the guilty, and justice
has become a four letter word.
A world that I once loved
but now only seek
to escape.
No, Winnie the Pooh
and Tigger too
couldn’t have dreamed
of a world like this.
But the funny thing is,
I think our dreary friend
Eeyore
saw it coming
all along.
(Poet’s note: This poem was written back when I was a foster parent, inspired by much of what I saw in the lives of the kids I took in. This is not meant to be a strictly anti-psych-meds poem, but unfortunately, I saw many of these kids unnecessarily or overly drugged just to keep them quiet or avoid dealing with the effects of their trauma.)
Maranda Russell 