Third Side of the Coin

It was the darkest night I had been through since I became one with the streets And no matter what corner I squeezed into every nerve in me got chilled Maybe this was what they meant by the apocalypse Or maybe God had decided to cut short my life string... No other explanation made sense at this point So I curled up into a human ball waiting to see how it ends. I was eight years old She was the only one who looked at me twice And with kindness engraved on every freckle of her face She took her shawl and wrapped it around me Took my hand and asked me to follow her. She was the purest soul I had known Gave me food clothes and a place to call home But above all she gave me love And that cannot be compared to anything else. On my sixteenth birthday she called me into her room Said I was like a daughter to her and she wouldn't want anything bad to happen to me And then she hugged me And a tear flowed down her cheek 'Its time you became part of the true life that I live.' I was afraid to the last bone in me But then it would kill me to disappoint she that had made me into what I was She promised that it wouldn't hurt And if any one tried to cause me harm I should scream her name and she would come right up. First time it was painful, I actually bled, That night I couldn't sleep as the memories fled Back and forth across my head The eyes of the ugly old man The smell that came from his sweat The weight that he placed on me The sounds that he made... Aargh it made my gut upset. 'Now you are a woman my love' She said as she wiped my sore body with the hot water ' Now you are like me. Strong and independent Able to make your own money' Handing me my first salary. 'If I was a minister I would take you to the best schools And build a big house and you would have your own room If I was a business lady I would wait till you were eighteen Then immediately write down my will Where you would get everything But my love This is who I am This is all I have And I do not mean you any harm But we sure do need to survive I will be with you all the way I will show you all you need to know And hopefully there will come a day that you will be able to get away from all of this I love you dear I just wish I could have given you more.' She was my mother and father She was my closest friend It was beacause of her that I could even wear a new dress She had sacrificed everything so that I lived So I was not going to live her now that she needed me... I am proud to be me I do not have any apologies It was either this or being six feet deep Atleast this way I am open to opportunities So next time before you point your finger at me Say bad things about me Show your kids who a street girl is And the best meaning of bad company Why don't you first ask yourself why you weren't the one whp picked me from the streets.