Damaged Goods

I was touched by a poem I received in an email today.

Poem by Survivor of Trafficking


Trafficking - "Damaged Goods"

When the word "Damaged Goods," enters my mind,
I think of items being returned,
Mainly, shattered products,
Unable to bring a profit to the company . . .

Never imagined,
This product is a woman, man, or child.
Human auction surfaces its head;
The buying, selling and trading:
The pricing of people, even a child. .

The movie, “Human Trafficking”, was recently aired:
The spectrum of comments written by strangers
Permeated the message boards with certain racism....

The interwoven theme was not perceived:
Few got the MESSAGE!!!

I sit here with such anger and sadness for the victims:
The continual blame being tossed around while
Men are labeled as the prime perpetrator

People exclaiming with voices raised:
“My country doesn't allow this!”

Listen to my emphatic message;
Every country is infiltrated and affected!!!
Buying, Selling, and Trading People;
It happens within our very existence . . .

That’s the message,
And to my dismay very few understood it . . .

Anger erupted inside of me,
As I hear the painful echoes within my head.
The cries for help from ten years past;
The anguish of voices for in various tongues.

How could I carry their voices to justice?
How can I surface their tears to the public?

I could wear the shoes of movie critics,
Pointing out flaws and mistakes in the production.
My gratitude swells in that “Human Trafficking”
Has brought awareness to the unaware.

I join the voices of many like me; the incarcerated victims from many states.

The warehouses and basements of casinos and such;

Areas where no one would think to search.

Transported like cattle
On warehouse trucks,
And yet I kept going
To the tune of my critics?

It exists, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Wake up! Open your eyes!

Have I descended into the stockpile of
"Damaged Goods?"

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By: Chong N. Kim
10-31-05