Alison Henderson

A person's comment:

"That's her there! Her hubby's inside!"
"How can she stand by him?" a neighbor cried!
"I'd throw away the lock and key!"'
"That husband of hers should never be free!"

"That woman can do so much better than him!"
"I'd throw all his letters away in the bin!"
"Just what can he offer now that he's locked away?"
"A complete waste of space!" she shouted that day.

"That's the one there! Her boyfriend's inside!"
"He's scum of the earth!" a neighbor implied!
"If I were her, well I'd meet someone else!
"Not wasting my life to be left on the shelf!"

"That woman's been left to cope with the shame."
"It was all over the papers! And gave out his name."
"He's useless! A criminal! Bring back the rope!"
"He'll do it again! For him there's no hope!"

My comment:

That man you condemn has a child and a wife
A mum and a dad who have given him life!
What would you do if this happened to yours?
Deny all your love and close all the doors?

Do you honestly think I'd sink to a level
And just turn my back and deem him a devil?
Yes! He's done wrong and is serving his time
And no, I do not agree with his crime.

"That woman" you point at, yes, it is me.
I was born with a name, as I'm human, you see!
I'm innocent, just in case you forgot
And love him whether you like it or not!

I've had the abuse, the comments and more.
It's nothing I haven't heard before.
I mean no offense when I say this to you
I'm a victim as well, a forgotten one, too.

How do you sit down and talk to your son
and tell him that his Daddy has gone?
It's easier explaining the meaning of death
and why people die and draw their last breath.

But Daddy, he's gone to no peaceful heaven.
Instead he's in prison and serving a seven,
so how do you sit down and tell your own son
the whys and the reasons his Daddy has gone?

"Listen, my son, you'll need to be strong.
Daddy has done something terribly wrong.
He's gone into prison for quite a long time,
and this is what happens when you commit crime."

"Daddy still loves us, he'll phone and he'll write,
ring you to wish you goodnight and sleep tight.
We can sit down together and write him a letter.
It'll make Daddy smile and make him feel better."

"We can go and see Daddy, perhaps once a week,
to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
You can draw Daddy pictures and paintings at school
to put on his wall, which will look really cool."

I tried telling my son with emotional tact
the truth of the matter, but you can't hide the fact.
His Daddy has gone and has gone for a while.
You can't say it with flowers or manage a smile.

So how do you sit down and talk to your son
and answer his questions why Daddy has gone?
All you can do is just tell him your way
and pray to the Lord he'll be home soon one day.

Me and Mum would always write
dear Santa Claus a note,
but this year Mum won't be around
so this is what I wrote:

Dear Santa, if I had one wish
to make all on my own,
it would be to release my Mum
and let her please come home.

Grandma makes the Christmas roast
with lots of food to eat,
but this year in the dining room
there'll be an empty seat.

I know it's far too much to ask,
so this year there's no wish,
but Santa could I ask you to
deliver my Mum this...

Trust me, Mum, you will get through
don't cry or shed a tear,
we'll celebrate our Christmas day
when you come home next year.

You told us to enjoy ourselves
but I can't promise that,
I'll miss you telling Christmas jokes
wearing your party hat.

I love you Mum with all my heart
be strong and please don't cry,
Christmas day will come and go
and time will soon fly by.

I know you made a big mistake
but what is done is done,
prison's stole our Christmas but...
they'll never steal my Mum.

To Mum With Love.