It can’t happen,
Or so you thought,
But you’re finally saved!
From where you were,
Raped and beaten,
Selling yourself, enslaved...
They’ll send you back,
Alive and whole,
So you call your Mama,
Telling her that
You’ll be home soon,
Free from rape and trauma...
But then you know
Your memory
Of every detail
Will stay with you
For all your life
Until you’re old and frail
But now you’re free!
Leaving this place
And your family waits
You board the train
With your ticket...
Free again... It feels great!
There are others,
A bit older,
Who were enslaved like you
And you wonder,
Briefly, why they
Aren’t as happy as you...
But now you’re free!
There’s the border!
At last you’re home again!
You’re so happy,
Until you see
Them waiting for your train...
Not family,
But your keepers,
Those who sold your body,
Who said that you’re
Nothing but meat,
Beaten raw and bloody...
You look around,
No place to go...
Police have disappeared...
You can’t escape,
They bring you back
And it’s all that you feared.
Yes, you’re back home...
Back in your box,
Let out now and again
To be cleaned up
And made pretty,
So you can entertain
The men who come,
Sick, twisted men,
Taking you as they please...
Where you had hope,
Now there is none...
You know it’ll never cease...
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Excerpted from Karl Stuart Kline's book, POISON PEARLS |
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This poem was inspired by my research that led me to discover that many of the prostitutes in Greece had been lured, tricked and betrayed away from their families and homes in Eastern Europe, especially from Albania.
Greek authorities treated these traffickers leniently and when taken into custody, their victims would be treated as illegal aliens, to be returned to their countries of origin, usually by train. |
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Of course, the traffickers knew of this and were able to "reclaim" their "property" once the train had crossed the border and they were beyond even what little protection the Greek authorities provided them. |
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