Sunday 21 August 2011

Lost child



every night, i dab
red oily paint on
pale sunken cheeks


teeth clenched, I draw
bright lines
around
dull bruised lips


glittering blue
eye make-up
completes my 
photograph


hiding joy-famished
thin frame
behind tight 
black dress, and 
scruffy shoes


my hands rough from
tilling the hard farm soil,
now grips the dirty
blanket in nightly terror
as men
obsessed with 
themselves,
plunders my
soft body  


i lost my voice
a long ago
behind these dark
rooms reeking of sex,
money, sweat and piss. 


i don't believe in
God nor 
fairy tales 


they are for kids.






Author's Note:  This post is for Poetry Jam, hosted by Brian Miller.  
"Our words have power. This week for the Jam, I want you to write a compassion poem, a call to action poem, an awareness poem...a poem that touches on an issue that pulls your heart strings. "  


While I enjoy writing about love and intimacy, I abhor children and women trafficking.   I was watching a documentary about this last night, and it is a cruel reality.   If you are interested, you may want to read more about this cause here.     


Shared with One Single Impression.   The prompt #162 is obsession.
Poets United:  Poet Pantry # 63.

picture credit:  http://silent-musings.tumblr.com/

34 comments:

  1. You certainly don't write fairy tales for children...

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  2. Definitely not fairy tales... a powerful voice shared well.

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  3. we share a similar burden...visceral imagery heaven...which is the reality we should see it in...very nicely done...

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  4. "joy-famished".... what a wonderfully turned phrase. So many of us feel that way, so many of us take the joy we have for granted and miss it completely, starving at the front of the buffet line.

    When I read the title the them of the poem jumped in to my mind and you handled it with such power. Well written...

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  5. Sex has always been and always will be used for making easy money. The trouble is, men have always seen women as such sexual objects to use and abuse as they see fit and, as long as there's money to be made from it all, it will always exist and for the women stolen or sold into this life, it is all so savage and so sad.

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  6. A very hard hitting poem about the 'joy famished' life of a prostitute.

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  7. Oh wow! What a powerful ending... and of course the words before that are equally terrific. Wow!

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  8. Strong words on a cruel subject done well.

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  9. This was a jaw dropper for me! Great poem for a visious crime.

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  10. Yeah it's digusting and disturbing, powerful write.

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  11. Strong, brave poem about a subject that deserves exposure.

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  12. Painful and strong. Thanks for writing this.

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  13. Well done. You paint a vivid and disturbing picture.

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  14. Heaven, this poem is so authentic,
    excellent word and visual wise.

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  15. People tended to take the easy way out.Some things better served by not talking about them. People shy away from them. You took the brave front!

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  16. power-packed writing.. a thought stimulator.

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  17. Gosh! This was powerful!
    great job

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  18. Powerful and disturbing. But still, you kept the reader lured in until the end. I didn't want to close the window, even though it had my skin crawling a bit.

    Very well done.
    Thanks for the read! Really provokes some thought.

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  19. Powerful words about a topic most people don't want to know about, sadly.

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  20. An ending with a punch. I like that. Thanks for the visit!

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  21. great takes on the prompts, Heaven! a very sad situation that occurs all over the world. thank you for highlighting it. ♥ dani

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  22. I like a poem that takes its courage in both hands, as this one does. A very fine achievement!

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  23. Powerful and shocking. Realy well done.

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  24. Quite a punch here! I like the personal perspective. So many of our message poems are written from the outside. Going inside you really hit home.

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  25. Very strong message....so much pain seen from the soul of the oppressed.

    I felt such sorrow for the character, and all the other people suffering through this....

    ~alaurilee

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  26. Tragic poem, but fantastically written! So powerful and deep!

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  27. Children deserve a childhood...

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  28. I cringed through the entire poem. You did a great job.

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  29. it is good to remember the world and it's dark side...

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  30. powerful write...nicely done!

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Thanks for your visit and comments ~ I appreciate them ~