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Purity Pawned

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What does innocence cost, you ask? It seems it's just a grand, For I know a girl who had hers sold By her Aunt, in a foreign land. They sold her soul at fiftteen, To a middle-aged traveling gent, Who filmed it all for the internet, In a dirty basement rent. She begged her aunt to spare her, To not let this monster soil The cherished gift God gave her, For an hour's salacious toil. She swore to help them honestly, And work three jobs, if needed, But this was quick, the die was cast, No matter how she pleaded. She screamed and cried when the hour came, While the man did what he pleased, And she prayed God wouldn't see her, That her aunt would be appeased. When thru, the sheets were bloody, And she hurt so down below, But bloodier still, her spirit, (Though that wound didn't show). He let her use the hotel's bath To clean the vile mess, And gave her fifteen dollars To replace her ruined dress. "A buck for every year!" he laughed, And threw it on the floor, Then yelled at her "Get out of here!" "You filthy little whore!" Well, with those words, his horrid act, And the soul he stripped away, Over time that's what she's now become, Though she makes a grand each day. See, they didn't just rob her virtue, They put her soul to death ... Now she curses him and her auntie, With every living breath ... And she doesn't need her faith now, There's no happiness or mirth, For no God could ever repay her ... For what her soul was worth. ~ 7th Place ~ in the "HASHTAGmetoo" Poetry Contest", Debbie Guzzi, Judge & Sponsor. ~ 1st Place ~ in the "Let's Talk About It" Poetry Contest, Richard Lamoureux, Judge & Sponsor.

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Line Gauthier

Date: 1/5/2018 5:29:00 PM

Wow - amazing write. Well deserved win, Gregory.

Debbie Guzzi

Date: 1/2/2018 4:42:00 PM

Thanks so much for bringing the topic up with such skill. Light & Love

Gregory Richard Barden
Date: 1/2/2018 4:46:00 PM

Thank you so much, Debbie ... blessings to you and yours!

Janice Canerdy

Date: 12/30/2017 7:46:00 PM

SO sad, made me cry. WELL-WRITTEN piece, Greg--CONGRATS! Janice

Gregory Richard Barden
Date: 12/30/2017 10:00:00 PM

Thank you so much, Janice ... not happy it made you cry, but I'm glad it touched your heart. It happens far too much in this world, and we MUST find a way to END it. Blessings, my friend! :-) <3

Eve Roper

Date: 12/30/2017 7:35:00 PM

Gregory, congratulations on this wonderful write.My husband spent 15 years in Japan and this went on while he lived there .... Women & children have no value except what went into the parents pocket. Not all , but some :( Hugs eve ~`*

Gregory Richard Barden
Date: 12/30/2017 7:48:00 PM

Thank you so much, Eve, and you are so right ... this goes on much more than many people realize. This took place in the Philippines, but it is right here in the US as well ... this girl has since married and has a family, (I "met" her on a songwriting site years ago when she told me her story), and we still chat a couple of times a year. She has a certain victory over it, thankfully, but there is also a part of her that died, and will never breathe again. Blessings, my friend. <3

Richard Lamoureux

Date: 9/3/2017 9:17:00 AM

Thanks for entering my contest and talking about a difficult topic. This was one of the best.

Gregory Richard Barden
Date: 9/3/2017 6:59:00 PM

Thank you so much, Richard, I so appreciate it, and I am so thankful you recognized the importance of this subject. Blessings, friend! :-)

John Hamilton

Date: 9/2/2017 9:20:00 PM

Wow Greg, no wonder you got a winner, this is excellent writing, hard hitting but it must be said!

Gregory Richard Barden
Date: 9/2/2017 9:53:00 PM

Thanks, John ... somebody on FB said it was "too graphic" when I posted it there, and I said it wasn't graphic ENOUGH. It is MEANT to be shocking, because it happens ALL THE TIME, especially in third-world countries where $1K can feed a family for a year ... it is a horrific truth, but it must be talked about, sung about, WRITTEN about, or it will never improve, and it must be done in a way that sticks in peoples' hearts and minds. Thanks again, Buddy - this one is important to me. Blessings!

Darren White

Date: 3/22/2017 12:29:00 PM

This is all too familiar for me... Thank you for writing this. I wrote about it myself too

Gregory Richard Barden
Date: 3/22/2017 4:03:00 PM

Child abuse, exploitation, and sale into slavery knows no boundary - age, race, sex, country, religion - and it not only happens here, it is worse now than it has EVER been, yet we pride ourselves on being safer and more advanced than third-world countries. I intend to continue writing about this, and ding so in a very direct and unfettered language, as most people don't act for change until they've been affected deeply. We are their voice, and we must speak plainly and LOUD. Thank you for your words, Darren, and for your great work!

Darren White
Date: 3/22/2017 12:30:00 PM

And it happens HERE Greg. Honestly. Ask me.

Doug Vinson

Date: 3/21/2017 8:58:00 PM

Whew, Greg, this is a fastball of hard reality right over the plate; indeed, you portray that sad reality well. How we treat our fellow people on this world...

Gregory Richard Barden
Date: 3/22/2017 1:22:00 AM

Indeed ... this happens FAR more than most people think, in fact it's worse than it EVER was, and I believe we, as artists, can be a powerful tool in bringing attention and change to the problem. We MUST try. Thank you kindly, Doug! :-)

James Horn

Date: 3/21/2017 11:44:00 AM

What an incredible poem. What inspired you to write it. Sure was such a sad tale to tell, And to write thing God did compel, me to ever write such a thing. So why is that the best poems tears to your eyes will bring. Jim Horn

Gregory Richard Barden
Date: 3/22/2017 1:21:00 AM

Thank you so much, Jim - I was inspired by a true story I read that was in a collection of works that were about white slavery and its prevalence in the world in this "modern" age ... it is worse than EVER, and we have to start bringing attention to it. I intend to do just that, and write more about it in the future, possibly even a song on my upcoming album. Thank you for your thoughtful comment and it's wonderfully poetic presentation! :-)

Andrea Dietrich

Date: 3/12/2017 8:12:00 PM

wow, Greg. What a strong poem this is against child abuse of the worst kind. VERY well done. a SEVEN

Gregory Richard Barden
Date: 3/13/2017 12:28:00 AM

Thank you so much, Andrea, this one is very important to me, and it was very tough to write ... this is very prevalent problem in third-world countries, and unless it's talked about and written about, it will never change. Very often the dark ones take the most out of us, but they're often the most important also. Thank you again, my friend. :-)