A Pawn
pleasing souls until the crack of dawn,
treated as a slave, a simple pawn,
she lives in the slums, all on her own.
she tried and failed on and on;
no words left, nor pride or shame,
just self-control, no dreams of fame.
of dead hopes, dreams and silent cries,
being called different names, never her own,
she's never been anything else but a pawn.
the thought of making it to the grind,
lead her to a vow: leave or die,
tired of an eternal lie.
You never felt hunger or cold at night,
you slept on your clean satin sheets
whereas she always stayed at their feet.
it won`t be her fault,
she has been a victim for too long;
trading in the passion game
no matter how it starts,
it always ends the same.
A Pawn was inspired by a real story, by the life of a black woman living in a predominantly white society, a victim of racism, violence and domestic abuse who struggled for years against stigma, trying to move forward.
Third world countries have no support for women to exit prostitution. There is no law, no strategy for help or support provided to women who were forced into prostitution.
Needless to add that no one cares about the long-term damage they suffered, or the emotional and physical abuse they have been victims of.
The stigma attached to it, makes everyone turn a blind eye on this issue. In the eyes of the state, the victim was not victim, but a sexual services provider.
The barriers faced by her were cruel and unimaginable. The lack of safe-housing and finances, the judgemental attitude she received whenever she asked for help, lead her to substance misuse.
Depression, anxiety and PTSD were added to her cocktail as if she wasn`t struggling enough. In a nutshell, it took her fifteen years to leave this life and move on.
Please note that parts of this poem were previously posted on Steemit as a teaser for my latest poetry collection, Tales Of A Moody Heart.
Here are some of the poems I previously published here on Hive and on Steemit:
ROAR
BEHIND THE CURTAIN
LET WIDOWS SMILE
QUEEN OF SHAME AND BLAME
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
LAST WISH
PREDICTION
DRAWN TO BLACK
BRUISES
RED CARDINAL
INCOGNITO LIFE
CROWN OF QUILLS
STOLEN LIVES
THE KITE RUNNER
THE MOUNTAINS
BALAD
SHOOTING STARS
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
ALL BOUT LOVE
A TALE OF A MINNOW AND A WHALE
LONG WAY DOWN 1
LONG WAY DOWN 2
SPIDER QUEEN
MINA'S EULOGY
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE
YOU KNOW IT ALL
CONFESSION OF A HUSBAND
BROKEN DREAM
THE RETURN OF A HERX
CLOSE THE DOORS
IT IS LOVE
BROKEN SOUL
FREEDOM
SPEECHLESS
CHECKOUT POINT
TEENAGE YEARS
PINK
PAIN
DARE
LOST
Very nice and powerful poem. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure!
WoooW! This song is so powerful & said & beautifully emotional! I can imagine these pictures what you've described! Bravo!
Thank you!If you can picture them, then my mission as poet is accomplished! ;-)
Exactly! Great work! 😉
Thank you for your feedback!
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Thank you!
Beautiful poem :) Have a great Sunday!
Thank you for stopping by!
You're welcome :)
This is a very sobering poem. I think did a good job of painting the scene leaving enough for the reader to bring something into the piece. Good work.
I invite you to cross post this in the Blockchain Poets Community. I would be happy to remit any beneficiary funds back to you.
Thank you @moeknows! I appreciate it. Have a wonderful day!
Beautifully executed. Yes, women are far too often the victims of this vicious cycle of forced prostitution. Some are dragged into it at an early age, and the victims see no way out for their predicament and no one to turn to.
Society does turn a blind eye to this. All the while protesting against it and vowing to do something, they are main ones participating in it behind the scenes.
Thanks for sharing @lymepoet.
From promises to action there is a long way. Usually actions are taken or support is provided only in more developed countries. Have a good day!
At it's very best prostitution is a contract between consenting adults for a service. It almost never is at it's best.
Generally, the woman is property and has utterly no say in the matter. Most are trafficked (bought and sold) and discarded at some point. Many are juveniles.
It's an incredibly sad and desperate situation with perilously few eyes on it, even in first world countries. It makes me crazy.
Thanks for shining a light on this dark corner of humanity.
It`s a sad reality that even in the 21st century such things happen. Humankind still has a lot to learn in order to evolve. Thanks for reading it and sharing your thoughts on this topic.
I think things have gotten even worse when we talk about sex trafficking today. There's quite a bit of evidence emerging that shows that women and children are the victims. I read that over 400K children go missing in America each year. Many others are caught in the sex trafficking web by despicable people, and brought into the U.S. and other western destinations.
Love your poetry!
Heart wrenching in realization of what is happening and has happened over eons of time, very direct message via poetry.
A beautiful and sad poem in one. 💕
Thank you!
That's a really powerful piece. It's a truth that throughout history there have been double standards placed on men and women - almost always by men - and almost always designed to keep women subservient in whatever form it takes. It's easy for someone who has the satin sheets, as you mention, to simply and flippantly say "well she can leave," as if the entire situation were, in fact, her choice to begin. That's the type of attitude we need to fix. No one ever asks to be thrown into a life of absue.
Most of those who find themselves in this type of situations, are not there by choice! Poverty has many unpleasant faces and unfortunately women and children are far more vulnerable than men as they are easier targets.
Beautiful. A poignant homage to women beyond the stereotypical assumption of the "oldest office" on earth.
As a venezuelan, I can relate to the pain and suffering of women who have been forced into prostitution. We all want to think that there is always choice and that anyone can opt out. For some women, opting out means starving, and if they have children, which has been the case of many venezuelan immigrants, and they close "decent jobs" doors on your face because you do not have this or that document, which you will never get because you're a foreigner and come from a country where gettings a simple passport may be impossible, then you fall and hope it won't hurt much and it won't last long.
In many Central and South American countries women are forced into prostitution, just like in Asia. Many of them were promised a decent job abroad just to discovered later that they entered the wolf`s den. Deprived of their documents and freedom, they are incapable of coming out of it.
Very sensory poem! I could see, feel and hear those words!
Glad to hear you enjoyed reading it!
👍 👍 👍
Powerful and moving!
Thanks for reading it and leaving a message behind!
Thank you for drawing attention to these issues.
My pleasure! Nice to see you here!;0)
Nice work in bringing the woman’s situation so clearly to the reader. It’s a sobering poem based on a true story.
Thanks! We need stories like this one to understand that we take a lot of things for granted.
What a beautiful poem! May you stay safe always :)
You too! Thanks!
Beautiful, but very sad poem of a daily reality!!
It is even more saddening to see that these things take place in the first world countries as well.
Such a powerful message @lymepoet! You words tell a story, wonderful to hear she was able to flee and begin a new life.
When you hear stories such her`s, you realize how priviledged your life is and that all of your darkest days were nothing compared to what she has been through.
My own instinct about the stigma as a reading of the woman's body in markets and societies is that all of capitalist society, first-world or otherwise, is aimed at disciplining the body for all the manifestation of the logic of the markets. those manifestations rise in the law, the private life, and the public life, all bound up in the unreified categories of the self, community and the meaning of freedom while they are subjects in the market-field.
For the woman's body, the logic dictates, unrecognized and unpaid labor such as reproductive labor and productive (social and market-wise) labor, which overlap.
I don't like poetry but I liked this one.
Great piece👍
I am glad to read that you enjoyed reading this piece. Women`s economic empowerment would help with the global inequalities. But I guess it will take some time until we will see some social arrangements that will allow women to combine social reproductive activities in a safe environment and for a well-paid work.
beautiful !!!!!!
Thanks!
Very sad poem, but beautifully written @lymepoet!
I love the way you unfolded her story, telling enough, allowing for me to fill in the spaces. And, all the while, the only thing I could think is nobody could feel this way unless they have been there (or know someone who has.)
I hate that anyone would have to live this way, to be degraded, humiliated, put at risk, and to know this is your life. It absolutely breaks m heart.
You nailed this so well.
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This story haunted me for some time. I could not get it out of my head. I couldn`t believe the things she had to go through to survive. I was shocked to hear how little some people cared for human life and how much they will do for that power trip. Her story revealed a side of mankind that I only found in books and movies.
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Gosh this is so powerful, it really is heart breaking what some women have to go through, the images in this are so strong, its impossible not to picture her.
Glad to hear that it left a strong impression on you. Thank you for reading it and stopping by to share your thoughts.
Beautiful and painful poem, @lymepoet. I love that you provide the context and inspiration for your poetry. In this case, especially, it sheds light on a key issue. So many people are marginalized and believed to be lesser-than because of their circumstances and the rut they have found themselves in.
Thank you! This story was a big eye-opener for me as it showed me a different side of the reality I knew.
Beautifully written poem for a very tragic tale!It is sad the lack of compassion the people in power seem to have towards those that offer sexual services!
You have told the real story in such beauty and power. I could almost visualize every part of it.