Rose

She dreams of being treated like a queen
She wants to be known
Wants to be seen…as a human being
She longs to be treasured
Not measured on her features and appearance
She knows she's meant to be more
Than an object of lust
For men who leer
It makes her flesh crawl
Every time they get near her

But the reality is
That it's all she's ever known
Papa was a rolling stone
And when he was home
He was a boulder of destruction
Tearin' up the house in a drunken rage
And hittin' her and mama in the face
For missing a simple instruction –
While he's still cussin', still fussin'
It was disgusting…

She had to get away
But in her haste to find safety
She started looking for love
In all of the wrong places
Many a days wasted
On suitors that shouldn't suit her
Because all they wanted to do
Was use her up, then lose her
Sugar, spice and everything nice
Is replaced by sex, deceit, and deadly vices

To those who know her
She's a rose of a different kind
Not altogether lovely
But fine enough for a good time
And her new man don't mind sharin'
“‘Cause I bet those dudes will pay top dollar
As hard as they be starin'”
Now she's out there as eye candy
As her reality sours
The breath of strange men heat up her neck
And she's getting paid by the hour

She's been rejected so long
That she resolves to accept it
Believing that it's better
To play by her own rules
Than to go through life dejected
She says, “The situation is screwed up
And since no one else seems to give a f*ck
I'm gonna make the most
Out of my station in life;
Make some money and get high – bottoms up”

Truth is she's feeling stuck
And her identity is in shambles
A rose that's lost her petals
Instead of a lily among the brambles
Built for love and dominion
But worn down by others' opinions
She fails to receive the mantle
For which she was attentively intended
New day, new city
While the nights all look the same
And she cries herself to sleep
Because the showers can't remove the shame

My sister, you are more than the sum of your deeds
Don't listen to the deceivers
You're more than just a perverted history
Of a long line of leavers
You were created with dignity and purpose
For a lover who sticks closer than a brother
He wants nothin' but the rose
And gave it all to show that you're worth it