Foundling Wheel

No more foundlings

in the foundling wheel,

no more ancestry

for anyone to steal.

A revolving crib set in a convent wall,

drop an abandoned baby,

hoping they don’t fall.

Anonymously and safely,

it was her only prayer,

hoping that behind the walls

someone kind would care.

A child’s life dictated by a mother’s hand,

the foundling wall rescued thousands

in diverse lands.

Disease or disability sometimes came into play,

just lay the baby in the wheel,

forever there to stay.

The foundling wheel stole the child’s identity,

but in honesty, it was the safest place to be.

Later replaced by institutions that stepped to the plate,

adopting babies quickly,

with minimal wait.

The foundling wall’s invention

fulfilled its good intentions.

Ancestry once lost for those in the wheel,

now through kindness and DNA,

their stories can heal.