Driven
The street her catwalk
The clothes her haute couture
Head held high
She strutted her stuff
At sixteen she was quite mature
Wrong side of the tracks
Not a good start to life
Being posh elevated her
confidence
Avoiding the strife
Able to work this
To get what she needed
Knowing herself
Trusting herself
A few years conceded
Love on the streets tonight
For sale at a price
Your place or mine
The front seat of your car
She could add a little spice
She had their number
Her expertise fortuitous
A carnival of sexual needs
She had seen it all
Separating herself from anxious
Sometimes there was violence
The Johns were abominating
The older girls looked out
not always able to protect her
She rarely saw it coming
She didn’t remember
How many there had been
Mostly it was a blur
Soon she would have enough
To say goodbye to the obscene
The end justified the means
She was almost there
Suck it up for a little longer
A few more tricks
Then nothing left to share
Christine Bolton – Poetry for Healing ©
Anmol is hosting at D’Verse Poets tonight and has prompted
us with Profiles and Portraits. This is a poem I wrote
some time ago and I thought I would share it tonight
Word Prompts:
Bravo! You speak of a tragedy which most people choose to ignore.
Thank you Jane. Yes I agree 😢
Oh! So tragic.
I think it was a happy ending. She was in charge! 🙂
Yes, the ending was happy indeed.
This one is amazing. The imagery. The emotions
Thank you kindly. Some people have it really tough.
😘
Nice last line.
Thank you! 🙂
A powerful portrait, which speaks to me of her agency and individuality. The dangers involved make it more real. I really liked the way you begin, bringing to life a certain image.
Thank you Ha! I’m happy it worked for this prompt. 🙂
Another challenging portrait from this Tuesday prompt, really well written, I can see your character for real.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that 🙂
A really harsh reality that goes on every day in this world. It is sad that people come to the point of nothing to lose in life. Your descriptions are very well done.
I watch a lot of movies! Thanks so much Dwight 🙂
And have a vivid imagination! Very good!
Yes I suppose I do!! Lol. Thanks again Dwight
The life of those who are dragged into that world of pimps and Johns… rarely there is a good way out. Did she meet with Robert Pickton?
No, she got away from that life just in time! 🙂 I just read about him. Yikes!
So many well intentioned traps in life Christian. This was sad and poignant — Well written.
Thank you Rob. Yes so sad for those girls. 😢
Love the line “Separating herself from anxious” – something we all try for at one time or another. I like this description much more than the word ‘denial.’ Seems to encompass the process with understanding rather than disdain. The act of seeing and remembering and describing what we so often turn eyes from is for me one of the definitions of compassion. Thank you
Thank you Christine. I do like to put myself in another’s shoes and tell a story.