A Pawn

She dances in the sheets at night,
pleasing souls until the crack of dawn,
treated as a slave, a simple pawn,
she lives in the slums, all on her own.

She can't stop this vicious chain,
she tried and failed on and on;
no words left, nor pride or shame,
just self-control, no dreams of fame.

Laying down each night in a bed of lies,
of dead hopes, dreams and silent cries,
being called different names, never her own,
she's never been anything else but a pawn.

The agony inside her mind,
the thought of making it to the grind,
lead her to a vow: leave or die,
tired of an eternal lie.

Don`t dare to judge her acts or fight!
You never felt hunger or cold at night,
you slept on your clean satin sheets
whereas she always stayed at their feet.

Whatever happens tonight,
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.

Drop me a line in the comments section below if you like what you read!

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

Lavi Picu is the author of three soulful poetry collections: Whiteless Thoughts, Burden of love and Tales of a moody heart. She is a Canadian writer, majored in Linguistics, with a background in translations and writing. She’s also a ghost writer, a blogger with a focus on arts and health, a Lyme disease advocate, a mother and a self-taught artist.