When it is time for me to be born
I hope I'll be cradled in arms soft and warm
Kept close, held safe in a haven of love
Wanted and cherished, a gift from above
When reaching the age of one year old
And decreed to leave your nurturing fold
Separated from you, abandoned, alone
I hope you return to carry me home
When I have lived for years more than three
Frogmarched to nursery class I must be
Hoping, by then, that I shall be able
To sit on the toilet and eat at a table
When I am tested, examined, assessed
If I have not yet met the targets pre-set
I hope you will not feel failed by my lack
Leaving me rejected, turning your back
And when journeying onward to self-identity
I hope you will travel that pathway with me
Supporting, empowering, guiding patiently
Until I have reached my true destiny