LOST


She had pretty hair
Now tangled
Her face has smudges
From sleeping in the park

A tattoo on her ankle
To mark her sense of age
She has left home far behind
And now she asks for change

She stays in a group
She now calls family
They watch out for one another
And wonder if there is a future

The police come and chase
Them away from downtown
Knowing they are children
Trying to survive

She has been asked many times
For sex
Still she will not take the money
But she is new here

The churches say they want to help
But offer food only after the sermon
The older men on the street
Offer protection but always at a cost

The night is cold
The rain falls
She huddles in a doorway
Trying not to be found

She wonders where is home
About a teddy bear
Almost forgotten
No where to turn

There are some who talk to her
They say want to help
But she doesn�t know whom to trust
Finally one night she looks in the dumpster for food

She has lost all emotion
Survival and a desire to escape
A friend offers her a pipe
The dream of not being here

Then she walks the quiet streets
Looking into cars
Strange men
Now she lives for the pipe

She feels lost
Not remembering
Just the tears
She takes her life


Michael V Hechtman