To the toddler that runs around the bars playing with last night’s garbage like toys. Your mother is a prostitute. It is not your fault. You spend your days in the arms of your mother’s friends who are prostitutes while your mom is working at the bar. I see you.
To the working girl who is all dressed up with your hair and makeup done. You are playing a game of pool with another customer. You smile and laugh at the customer’s jokes; you flirt and act like you are having the time of your life. You put on an act and leave the bar holding the hand of that man who will take you back to his hotel room. I see you.
To the balding, overweight, white, middle aged man with a wedding band on and a girl half your age sitting on your lap. You are drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette; your hands are all over the girl you met just minutes ago. You came with money and with intentions of spending it on the girl of your choice. You look around nervously but no one is there to stop you. You leave the bar with the girl and a smile. I see you.
To the beautiful little girl who sells flowers to the tourists that flock to the red light district. You cannot return home until all of your flower necklaces are sold. You are in your own world of slavery, being exploited by your parents who wait for your return with money in hand. Your childhood and your innocence are being robbed. I see you.
To the men and women of the red light district. You play the same role every night. You are bound without shackles, you are trapped without bars, you walk about freely but you are not free. You do not get a day off; you spend your whole night with a mask of happiness on and all day preparing to do it again. Your life is consumed by this evil trap. I see you.
I see all of these people when I walk into the red light district. I see them for who they really are and not for what they try to make themselves out to be. I see them and so does God. God sees and knows each one of these people. He cares for and loves them; they are not just another face in the crowd. They are precious and priceless.
