Innocence

A baby boy who was cursed to a hard life. Just a baby in life, his mother used heroin while pregnant with him, so as a 1 year old he was the size of a 3 month old. His mother hated him, smacked him for the tiniest whimper and she never had the patience to feed him, so his meal a day was half a bottle.
He was a year old, couldn't sit up, couldn't say anything but 'dada' for his dad, who she had no clue who was. He was a year old and he was already hated, and year old and he was already abused before he was even out of the womb.
Unwanted, he had no way of knowing that he was unloved and he hadn't the brain cells to comprehend the feelings or harsh words. He already had his taste of the monster and that was enough to leave him in the care of others.
He was innocent and his mother treated him like he was the cause of her misfortune. He expected him to be black so she named him 'Mileek' but he was a white baby with auburn hair, and a future of freckles. His name to me was Michael, as in the angel Michael. I fed him his bottles while I sang to him 'Could be an angel'.
I would have taken him to a safe place if I was not been so young. Where as he was just in the early stages of life, I was a freshman in high school. Under better conditions I would've snatched him. But I left him in the 'care' of his mother.
I went to babysit him again and I found the door open. I went in only to hear the ringing silence. The house was empty, all empty except the baby room. I went in there to see if she had taken him when she left.
He was there, I cooed to him, calling his name I gave him. I got to the crib and he was there.
He was there but he had slept with the pillow on his face. I moved the pillow and screamed. His face was purple, my baby was dead. His mother was a coward and suffocated him in his sleep. She ran from the law for 3 years until they found her dead of an over dose.

My baby was dead.