Tamar’s Poem, and a chance to win a copy of UnEmbraceable

This is a portion of UnEmbraceable that I actually removed, because my helpful beta readers said it was too political and came out of nowhere.

The poem burst out of me while I was sitting in a Walmart parking lot, of all places, late on a Wednesday evening. It’s not my choice writing venue, but it worked out that night.

This was originally two-thirds of the way through the novel when Tamar begins to process her broken life on a deep level. It doesn’t give any spoilers, but rather tells about her life in foster care and as a runaway teen.

I don’t often get political, but when I learned how many kids in the foster care system are on major psychiatric drugs, and also that 95% of kids who are trafficked in America have been in the foster care system, something boiled inside of me.

If you would like to enter to win a paperback copy of UnEmbraceable, please leave a comment below. Winner will be selected at 7pm on Monday, July 15.

Available as an ebook or paperback.

Tamar

I spent many hours journaling with the stubs of pencils they allowed me to have. Thoughts spilled onto the page that I never considered were inside me.

I’m a child of America:

I’ve seen all its cities

Carried on the backs of greed.

I’m a child of America:

I’ve seen the worst motels

From sea to shining sea.

I’m a child of America:

Another one abandoned

By a government that thought it knew best

How to tame the beast of my own decisions

Inside its pills and foster care system

And yet another wrongful arrest.

I just want peace

In the land of the free

And the home of the brave.

But all you want is for me to behave

Like a good child of America.

One who will feed your greed

And still call you the best.