In the middle of the night
While most of us sleep
She's on the street
So her pimp can earn his keep

Tight jeans or short skirts
But always high heels
She gives her final price
To make grown men squeal

Down a dark alley
She opens the car door
Toys on the seat
He throws them to the floor

She pulls out a rubber
The last man's smell
still on her face
She puts his hard cock
Into a well traveled place
Her mouth
Her vagina
Her ass

She never made it to algebra
Her math skills come from
the street
One John
Two Johns
Three Johns
Four
Fifty for a blow job
Anal sex costs a whole lot more

She fucks like a big girl
She's often been told
She's been in The Life
Since she was 11 years old

Raped in her own home
By someone she knew
HE was so much stronger
SHE, a sixth grader
no longer

It happened again
when she was all of thirteen
From that day forward
She lost her self esteem

He saw her on a bus one day
He bought her a fancy lunch
This man's real nice, she thought
She liked him a whole bunch

New clothes, long red nails
He kept showering her with more
Poor little girl had no idea
what was in store

He then uttered three words
Unlocked her heart with a key
I love you
He whispered
Now do something for me

Have sex with that man
And then make him pay
This is your new job
You'll do it day after day
after day
night after night
after night

Then give me all the money
You have no other choice
I'll beat the fuck out of you
If you ever raise your voice

The police kept arresting her and throwing her in jail
Her pimp would just
leave her there
He'd never help post bail

The cops would demand
Who's your pimp, what's his
name?
She'd never give it up
cause it's all just part of
"the Game"

At seventeen years old
she feels washed up and tired
She wants to get out of the Life
but she cannot get hired

To do anything other than sucking a man's dick
The only thing she knows
how to do is turn tricks

People call her
A hooker
A slut
A dirty whore

But she's just a child who, like all of us, dreams of so much more
Comments Header
John G
Aug 28, 2010 10:55 AM
Lisa:
Your poem made me think all day.
I wrote this in response... hope you don't mind...

Drawn by the fragrant hyacinth,
See the blossom torn from the vine,
Soft petals turning brittle,
How many frantic wandering bees?
John
Aug 27, 2010 11:09 AM
Lisa:
You are doing a great job. It's hard to read this kind of poetry, but it does raise the consciousness and make you think.
So, what's the solution to this?
I'm glad you are thinking about and working on behalf of children.
Stick with it....
PnkSugr
May 18, 2010 2:12 PM
Amazing! Great use of words to elucidate this horrible topic!
john
Apr 29, 2010 12:05 PM
Every forty seconds a child is reported missing in the U.S. Thats 2,160 per day! every day! Thats 788,400 every year! I have tried for almost 10 years to get some one or agency to bring this to the attention of the public. From Oprah to abc, nbc, cbs, fox ect. on top of the 788,400 reported, there are another estimated 500,000 that go unreported! I hope and pray that you might look into this. It's a sad and ugly bloche on our country..........sincerely, john
Ryan
Apr 12, 2010 3:39 PM
As a young reader (only at the age of thirteen) your poems really hit peoples emotions. Lisa, I wish I could possess your gift. The way you shatter hope across foreign lands, and even in our own, is fantasizing to me. I look up to you, not only as a journalist, but as a hero for the voices of people who matter.

Thank you SO much for EVERYTHING!
-Ryan Sullivan
!
Jan 19, 2010 6:21 PM
yum.
Jennifer C
Jan 10, 2010 2:01 PM
What an incredibly powerful poem. You have translated the experience so well and I'm sure that it helps to release some of the emotion that comes with what you see. I have worked with women whose job it was to work the streets or dance at the clubs, being owned by someone or bought by another is not glamorous. The watered down version of their lives is what the general public sees and hears. It is important to find ways to debrief and support yourself after doing what you do. In the capacity of my work with abuse, victimization and other support roles, I found writing about my feelings was necessary in order to continue. Thank you for bringing the issues to the forefront. Please take care of self and continue to be inspired by the people and places you see. For some, turning a blind eye is not an option, what you have taken on is truly appreciated.
kelli glynn
Oct 17, 2009 6:19 PM
Lisa,

Hi! I just wanted to say what a wonderful person you are and it was great to hear you speak in Fargo, ND. I did not know how many issues were out there concerning women and how they are treated .It made me cry a little when you spoke about the yr olds that were forced to marry men 2-3x their age. It's great to hear that your sister is doing well after her ordal in korea. Keep up the great work.

kelli
David
Oct 04, 2009 4:21 PM
wow this is a very striking poem.
i think it really captures the brutality and harshness of the situation.
thank you lisa

David
Misty
Oct 03, 2009 11:39 PM
I have to admit i kinda cringed at some of the words you wrote but as the poem progressed they became powerful and powerful until i actually felt that girl's pain. So sad. We have so many girls like her in this world and you're rite we call them 'dirty whores' not bothering to peek into their souls. We just see their usd up body on display and think we have the right to judge them. No woman or human being for that matter could enjoy selling their body on the street.
Thankyou for sharing this. Its strange but i feel enlightened
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