Poetry by Tammy Mayes
Hi, my name is Tammy Mayes I live in poverty, I am a mum of 4, admittedly most of my children are now adults.
1st I would like to share a poem about feeling n fears of living in poverty.
Feelings and Fears of living in poverty.
You wake in the morning and wonder what the day will bring, you worry will another bill come through the door? Will you be able to pay for it?
Will there be a knock on the door?
We do our best with the means we have, our children are fed, clothed, a roof over their head and the big part is they are loved. You worry about what people think, you don’t tell people you live in poverty,
You feel shame, you feel guilty because people expect you to do what they feel is right!
We go without so our children have everything they NEED,
It’s not designer stuff but who cares? Society does!
Why I don’t know!!
Why is it important for children to have designer stuff?
Why aren’t normal clothes good enough?
Children are precious when you pregnant all you can do is imagine how they will be! You want what’s best for them. But you know designer stuff is not the bee end n end all!
The school’s demand you buy this and buy that but they don’t understand that u budget for everything,
you see the smiles on your children’s faces, u see how happy they are!
All they want is your love n cuddles, you don’t need money for that!
Children don’t need designer stuff, they don’t need the latest technology, they need love, clothes n food, and a roof over their head,
You get into debt to fit into society.
Why? when will people learn that living in poverty is NOT NEGLECT, people in poverty have lots going for them. They are human beings, not a number.
By Tammy Mayes.
So, let’s talk about why poverty is not neglect?
Everyone puts people in poverty in the same category and it’s wrong.
Poverty is not a choice, people don’t wake up and say I know what I will live in poverty! They don’t say “oh I will have children with special needs” they don’t say I will struggle daily because I want to! There is no choice!
Just because you live in poverty does not mean you will neglect your children, it doesn’t mean that you are a layabout that does nothing.!
We are people with feelings and ambitions.
We are people just like you, we have rights just like you, we are fighting an unfair world, just like you.
We want what’s best for our children just like you. But not once when intervention happens do you ask what we want! You see us from the start as neglecting our children, you don’t look at what we do for our children. you don’t see us wearing shoes with holes in them because we can’t afford to buy new shoes for ourselves! you don’t see us going without food so our children have enough! you don’t see what we do to better ourselves, you don’t see the tears at night when your child comes to you and “says my friend got the latest phone n they want me to get it to, and they won’t be my friend if I don’t have designer stuff, or latest phone”. you just see us as a report that’s put on the desk in front of you, you don’t see us as people but a number.
You see us as the same as another family that has neglected their children, whether it’s because they’re addicted to drugs n alcohol, you don’t look beyond that. You just see a family struggling and instead of helping families, you remove the one thing that keeps that family going. POVERTY IS NOT NEGLECT. POVERTY IS NOT A CHOICE.
Families in poverty budget for everything, but they don’t budget for emergency’s as they don’t have the money to do so.
But you will find if you paid attention to poor people that they are great people n don’t hurt anyone.
They would give to someone else even if they don’t have themselves because they know what it is like to have nothing, they won’t let another human being go hungry.
Poverty is not neglect!
Yes, as in all walks of life u will get some that do neglect their children, BUT NOT EVERYONE does! Stop putting everyone in the same category. That’s like us saying all rich people only care about themselves, yet we know that’s not true. The ones who only care about themselves are the greedy ones.
Surely everyone has the right to what everyone else has the right to.
like the right to food, the right to be able to take the children away even if it’s for 3 days. Most families have never been on holiday because they can’t afford it.
Or like the internet, tv, n phone. People use these against a person in poverty, why shouldn’t someone living in poverty have internet, tv or a phone? everything is digital. So, u need a phone that can go on the internet n you need internet, n a tv so you can just chill n watch movies as a family. Why should that be used against someone because they live in poverty? Why should using a food bank be classed as neglect? surely going n getting food for your children is not neglecting them?
I have so much more to say on the subject of poverty is not neglect but that’s for another day. Hopefully, you will start thinking about your actions against others.