By Jocelyn M.
Invisible Daughters: A Poem by a Teen Parent

Poem by TPEP participant Jocelyn M.

TPEP teen mom, her daughter, and new babyWe are your invisible daughters

which is how I felt until my belly was on the rise

No one saw me when I ran the streets

or heard my cries

while hunger and neglect ripped me up

and my mother would not let me back inside

But now you see me, rub my belly and want me to sing a happy song.

I sing

not because I’m happy

but for my voice to be heard

so that the brothers will remember that we  need to be protected, raised up, not felt up

We need safe places to lay our heads

people who can see, respect, and hear you

When you saw that I did not go to school

When I was on the stroll and you drove on by

seeing me climb into a strange man’s car to sell my body to survive

When I sit out on the streets

When my mother allows her men to touch me

Where were you?

Why did you just walk by?

But now my belly makes you see me

Why didn’t you see me before?

I am a child who now has a child which makes me visible to the eye

I am your child, your daughter, your grandchild

I am the next generation looking to rise

Do you hear my cries?

 

If you know an at-risk pregnant District teenager, encourage her to learn about HBP’s Teen Parent Empowerment Program (TPEP) online or by calling (202) 396-2809.