Miss Alice Preece

Miss Alice Preece was thirty-two
And relatively well-to-do;
A house and car both in her name
A certain modicum of fame
The much reported legacy
As left to her by Aunt Marie
Provided for her favourite niece
The daily needs of Alice Preece

The swirling dust around the feet
Of children playing in the street
Was swirling round the rubber wheels
Which carried baby Susan Niels;
Around the supermarket door
Where left for not a second more
Than takes the strength the stranger lacks
To break the thread that holds her back

From loneliness within the world
Now Alice Preece's baby girl
Provided her with something more
With something to be living for
To satisfy the crying need
Within herself, she did indeed
Commit the crime that the police
Laid at the door of Alice Preece

They took the child and in its place
They left a feeling of disgrace
The mother, Janet Niels, did say
When asked, "She should be put away!"
The case is closed on Alice Preece
But now whilst a'waiting for release
She still remembers Susan Niels;
And wonders what else that reveals?