You should have been cherished.
You should have been loved.
You should have been held.
You should have been warm.
You should have been told every day how wonderful.
How beautiful.
How unique.
How perfect.
You were.
You should have been told that there was never anyone else
That you were the first one like you.
The only one that had ever been
That would ever be.
You.
You should have danced every day.
And caught a smile every morning.
And ran in the rain like a wild one.
And lay in the sun and kicked the clouds.
You should have not have been made a thing in your own country.
Filth.
Broken
Nothing.
We did not love you.
We did not cherish you.
We’re breaking now.
We’re buried with you.
We’re sorry.
We’re sorry.
We’re sorry.
You should have been cherished.
unshavedmouse 
Mouse…..could I ask why you posted this?
Google Tuam mother and child home.
I see…..
Yeah
Every once in awhile I become hopeful for humanity. And then something like this comes to my attention.
There are no words. The only one that comes close is “heartbreaking”.
Beautiful words, mouse. Let’s hope the poor souls are at peace now. And look to making sure atrocities like this never happen again.
I had no idea, This is horrifying and tragic. I pray for their souls.
Thank you for sharing your poem with us, Mouse.
I had heard about Tuam Home before but I hadn’t heard about the most recent discoveries about the bodies found there. Horrifying and sickening are the only words that come to mind.
There is a documentary called “Children of Shame” from 2016 available on Amazon that is free with amazon prime that was filmed before the burial chambers were opened. The documentary interviews individuals that lived in Tuam and other children’s homes, explains the history which led to the institutions. The reaction of the Bon Secours Sisters was shocking and cold.
From the Wikipedia article: ‘The Bon Secours Sisters issued an apology in the wake of the report’s publication, stating “We did not live up to our Christianity when running the Home.”’
The phrases “Understatement of the fucking century” & “No shit, Sherlock” immediately spring to mind.
Can we all please hold the entire institution of the Catholic Church on trial for its many, MANY crimes against humanity, please?! I’ve got nothing against the Catholic faith, but its church has been in the wrong on almost every single issue, going all the way back to putting a prudish, antihedonic, triple-denying misogynist whose preferred hierarchy was diametrically opposed to the decentralized gnostic style and teachings of faith of his self-professed leader.
I don’t know what to say. There are no words for how awful this is.
Out of morbid curiosity, did this happen because the nuns wanted to kill the children, or were they just that shitty at being caretakers? Not that I can understand how they slept at night either way.
Mixture of disease, poverty, neglect. The infant mortality rate was hellish in the country anyway, the awful conditions just made it worse.
Beautiful poem. Everything I’ve read about Tuam made my heart break. From the way the children who lived there were treated in school to the neglect and complete disregard for the lives in the care of that home. It made me angry and incredibly sad for the children (now adults) who survived and still have memories. The mental and physical damage done, living in such a place and being told they were bad and shameful because of how they were conceived…it would be a very hard thing for me to to forgive if I were in their shoes.