Dear Readers,

I wanted to share with you a piece of poetry that holds a very special place in my heart. It is not just a poem, but a raw and personal reflection of my journey. This poem, titled "From Lost to Found", offers a glimpse into my life as a foster child.

Growing up in the foster system, I navigated a sea of emotions, dealing with feelings of loss, abandonment, and invisibility. I felt like a small ship caught in a storm, searching for a safe harbor. It was a challenging period, filled with turmoil, but it was also a time when I discovered my resilience and my strength.

This poem is an attempt to articulate those complex emotions, the struggles I experienced, and the strength I found within myself. It's about feeling lost, then finding yourself. It's about enduring hardships and emerging stronger. It's about transformation. If you like I will share more of my experiences in this anthology of poems. 

My hope is that my experiences, translated into words, will resonate with those of you who have experienced similar hardships or find yourself navigating through the storm. Remember, it's the journey that shapes us, and even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty, there is always a beacon of light within us.

Yours,

Shann Writes

From Lost to Found

At the tender age of seven, in a world that seemed so bleak, I became the anchor for two hearts fragile and weak. A newborn's whisper, a five-year-old's timid gaze, I was but a child lost in a grown-up's maze.

My parents, captives to their self-spun web of vice, Leaving us alone, paying the ultimate price. Their love lost in the fog of intoxication, Abandoning us in a sea of desolation.

At eight, the system's cold and clinical hand, Swept us into an unfamiliar land. Visits scheduled, empty promises made, Yet, they never came, their memories began to fade.

Years passed in a flurry, my wounds unseen, My heart bearing scars of where love should've been. One day at sixteen, amidst the bustling crowd, I came face-to-face with a ghost from the past, walking proud.

She looked through me, her gaze hollow and cold, A mother's recognition, once precious, now sold. In the midst of strangers, I stood alone, In the eyes of my mother, I was unknown.

Every foster home, each supposed sanctuary, Was nothing more than a temporary fairy. In borrowed spaces, I felt like a ghost, An unwanted visitor, an invisible host.

Yet within me, a flame began to flicker, A strength born from pain, growing quicker. Though the echoes of loneliness were hard to ignore, I resolved to endure, to explore.

I ran, leaving behind the shadows of despair, Breaking free from the cycle of disrepair. I emerged from the ruins, no longer confined, In the face of adversity, my spirit refined.

From feeling lost, like a ship at sea, To finding strength, becoming the person I wanted to be. I embraced the dawn of a life anew, In the journey from lost to found, I grew.

Through every hardship, every tear shed in silence, I found within me an unbreakable resilience. From the depths of darkness, I emerged into the light, In my own story, I became the knight.

~S.W