Adoption
Lately I have been reminded
For a number of reasons
Of my childhood days
When all of my ‘Aunties’
Where not actually related
I was told to call them Auntie
They were only my mum’s friends
I had lots of Aunties anyway
My mum had five sisters
Auntie Lily was the only one
Who was older than Mum
Then came Auntie Vi
Who lived in Southampton
Where we went for holidays
My granddad was killed at war
My mum a child herself
Her mum remarried
And three more sisters came
Gladys, Nellie and Betty
She never called them step sisters
But loved them all the same
In addition
to Mum’s sisters
My dad had sisters too
One of whose names, Janet
I have as my middle name
I was only a baby
When we moved away
And I never saw them again
The two honorary Aunties
I remember best were
Auntie Ivy who had been
A Land Army Girl in the war
Cookie who was the cook
At a children’s home
Where my mother worked
Many years after
When I became a mother
Friends, and in laws
All had families too
Aunties, real or semi-adopted
In fast order I found myself
Called Auntie Daphne
First along young David
Named after his dad
Robert, Janie and Nick
Deborah, Tracy and Suzanne
All were friends from the start
And all lodged in my heart
With my dear baby Jakki
So in her turn
Jakki never questioned
Aunties Anne, Clare and Liz
Accepted as were
Her true Aunties, Valerie
And my brothers wife
Auntie Burnhild
It seems to make no difference
Blood relative or no
The only thing to count on
Is love where it is freely given
And taken without a show
God parents filter in to note
Another unrelated title
Now some younger people
Have come into my life
Have made their own nominations
And adopted me as an aunt
Or even a surrogate mum
Katie, Andy, Sally
An honour I’m happy to take
In older life now it continues
The giving of or taking love
A most important gift
The warmth of being gathered in
As part of a younger adult life
These friends don’t ask for much from me
A text signed, Love, Mum or Auntie D
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