The Bed They Lay On

They all slept here. Endurance was the aim
for them each day, before the bailiffs came.

They all slept here. There was no one to blame
for what occurred before the bailiffs came.

They all slept here. Their mother tried to claim
more benefits before the bailiffs came.

They all slept here,  and “Dancer and The Dame”
played on TV, before the bailiffs came.

They all slept here. They watched that tiny flame
when mother smoked, before the bailiffs came.

They all slept here, beside a picture frame
upon a chair, before the bailiffs came.

They all slept here, though one young boy was lame
and needed help, before the bailiffs came.

They all slept here. The father tried to maim
the eldest boy, before the bailiffs came.

They all slept here. They took their father's name.
He left some weeks before the bailiffs came.

They all slept here. Their routine was the same -
food, bed, TV -  before the bailiffs came.

They all slept here, where they endured the shame
of poverty before the bailiffs came.

They all slept here, the wild, the sad, the tame,
and shared a bed before the bailiffs came.