How Many?
#5 of National Poetry Writing Month
Another poem for National Poetry Month. This one is about bulling.
Have you ever been told something
that you knew wasn't true? Had the
words spat at you with hatred and
violence?
You're ugly.
Fat.
Worthless.
No one likes you.
You'll never have any friends.
No one would miss you.
You don't belong here.
How many times have we told
ourselves it wasn't true? Told
ourselves that they were lying.
Jealous. Angry. Bored. Mean.
Anything other then telling
the truth about us.
We pretend to ignore their
comments and tell ourselves
it doesn't bother us. Doesn't get
to us. Doesn't affect us. We're better
then that. They don't know us.
Don't let the bullies win.
How many times do we tell ourselves
that with tears in our eyes?
How many times do we choke out
those words while a razor is pressed
up against our veins?
How many times do we pretend they
don't matter while numbing the pain
with a bottle to our lips?
Their words beat down on us for
so long that we finally accept them
as fact. We don't dispute their words
or try to argue otherwise.
We accept the pain they
have caused despite the
words of our loved ones
telling us otherwise.
We drive ourselves to insanity
with their lies. Still living in
the past while they move on
without us.
We tell ourselves not to listen
instead of doing something about
it. We tell others it isn't true while
leaving them to sit in anguish.
Kids will be kids.
It's nothing serious.
You know it's not true.
Ignore them and they'll go away.
It's only words.
Just deal with it.
How many have to hang themselves
before we realize that "deal with it"
just isn't good enough?
How many will try to carve the
pain out of their arms before we
accept their feelings as real?
How many have to die before
we realize that we aren't doing enough?