Overnight Girl
Overnight girl…
If her mood and the price is right
Revolving doors at the seedy hotel
Or run down apartments
Where no one asks any questions
The long walk home…
Wearing the scars of her forever shadow
Impossible to come clean
It follows her everywhere
Escape a foregone conclusion
The endless whispers…
Words casually tossed her way
The moving crowd and the eyes that turn away
Or the ones that leer lasciviously
Someone’s always watching
Her eyes and ears…
Scanning the passing cars
Listening to the curses and cat calls
The nameless faces searching for something
Perhaps a false version of love
Nighttime in the crucible…
Raw, animalistic, and emotionless
Chaotic encounters with consequential expectations
Pain, blood, and bruises
Badges of shame
Her forever shadow…
An unseen mark which everyone can see
The disrepute reputation
The one she tried in vain to wash away
So many years ago
It’s a living…
Survival in the urban jungle, but just barely
She cringes when she looks in the mirror
Youth but a fading memory
Happiness a forgotten emotion
Author’s Note
A forever shadow is my own construct; its a term that encompasses the unshakable brand on a person’s reputation. Prostitutes, swindlers and other nefarious characters, and other assorted low-class drifters all carry the mark. People seem to pass judgment on them too quickly and with a heavy-handed harshness. No matter where they go, the forever shadow rides on their coattails in an endless cycle of despair and misery.
If you enjoy poetry about the raw, gritty, reality of life, then you might find Broken Woman a worthy read.
- When We Lost Control - October 13, 2025
- The Crumbling Space Around Me - October 10, 2025
- Sorrow - October 9, 2025
Noone know their inner thoughts, their reasons for doing what they do, so noone have the right to judge. Very well penned, Ralph.
‘Forever shadow’, what a great line and the reality for sex working who, in their perceived place in society, save many lives in a service to society that is as old as existence. Nicely penned and expressed my friend.
Beautifully penned!
This gritty “real life” poetry is what I enjoy reading most, Ralph. Great job in describing this life of despair and misery.
The reality is that unfortunately it’s an existence for far too many nowadays. The loss of dignity by working the streets for drugs and dollars is a mean way to survive. Many won’t and the morgue will stack up every day with the lost souls. Well penned Ralph.
Ralph,
This is a sad poem, and I can almost feel the emptiness of this poor woman. I would not wish to point fingers at anyone in this position, but fold my hands, rather, in prayer for them, as well as so many others. Beautifully written.