Where I am from

Where I am from
I do not have a name
Hunger rules
Child assault and molestation are norms
Teenage pregnancy
Drug and substance abuse is part of life.

You say poverty is a disease
Where I am from
Poverty dictates
And has taken us slave
And it is a crime to break out.

Where I am from I am nobody
I only irritates and pester
I am just a product of a heated passion
My birthday is a cursed day.

Where I am from Moonlight tales are nightmares
With the roar of a drunken father
And that of a rumbling stomach

Where I am from I cannot go to school
Because I am a girl
I cried and hated myself
Because blood was dripping
Out of my body
Fear and shame engulf my transition to womanhood.

Where I am from,
I turn into the street
I combed the garbage cans in company of dogs for leftovers.

Where I am from
I am the mother,
The child and
The Father.