Fuzzy Children

The 21st-century orphanage
Five feet by twenty-four
Eight cold steel cages line the rear
Each with one or more souls

Scarcely big enough to lay down
Fare is but kibble and water
Bed (a towel) and toilet (a box) abut
Temporary home, a last-chance layover

This staging area
Robs the senses and mind
Crushed by the weight of indifference
None play, jump, smile, or hope

Small, cute, or young
Means a home comes with little patience
Ugly, infirm, or old
Means a doctor comes with a little needle

Only this 21st-century orphanage
Puts a terminal time limit on finding love
Ultimately unwanted, little innocent bodies
Stacked daily and thrown away like cordwood