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Drinking outside Hells Kitchen one warm Johannesburg evening, after a respectable amount of beer, a pint-sized street urchin bounced across the sidewalk and asked if we'd like to hear some poetry. ""Why not?"" we laughed. This was different. No outright begging. As a writer myself, I respected the effort being made. Then she recited her poetry, and I suddenly understood what real writing sounded like. I was so impressed, I decided to publish her work. Treat yourself. Read these poems. Let them reach inside and tug on strings you never knew you had. Welcome to life on the colourful streets of Melville, Johannesburg. All digital royalties, and all proceeds from the sale of local paperbacks, go to Shorty. I'm not taking a cent.

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Shorty was raised by a single mother in Alexandra. From an early age, she wanted to be an entertainer. She loved singing and dancing. But when Shorty was 11, her mother passed away, and Shorty's dreams died too. Years of abuse made her hate life. She lost focus. At 16, she had a son, now being raised by her sister. At 17, Shorty moved to Melville. Angry. Wanting to die. But she found love on the streets of Johannesburg. From 2007 she adapted to street life. She learned she had to depend on herself. She used to beg for money, until in 2016 - standing outside Poppy's - she showed her poems to a friend who suggested she should read them for people. Today she is well-known on the streets of Melville, reciting her poetry to anyone who will take the time to listen to the heartfelt words of The Melville Poet.

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