Orphan

she remembered leaving the orphanage
her gramma came to get her
and her older brother

she told me how it felt
when the car pulled up
the rush of relief
leaving that place

she was so excited that she was going to
have her own room
and dolls
and eat breakfast
at a kitchen table

what she really meant
was she was excited that somebody loved her
enough not to leave her there
and forget her

she got to be part of a family

somebody cared about her

my gramma's life certainly wasn't
smooth sailing
after that

as with any life
there were as many hardships
as there were fortunes

but
i am always glad
to imagine the day her gramma
came to get her and her brother
out of the orphanage