Poets United Midweek Motif ~ Bullying

Bars & Melody

“Perhaps it is only human nature to inflict suffering on anything that 
will endure suffering, whether by reason of its genuine humility, 
or indifference, or sheer helplessness.” 
― Honoré de Balzac, Père Goriot

"To me, that's what bullying is, showing off. It's saying, I'm better than you, 
I can take you down. Not just physically, but emotionally.” 
― Whoopi Goldberg, Is It Just Me?: Or is it nuts out there?

Midweek Motif ~ Bullying

What would it take to stop bullying? To keep it from escalating to destruction? To endure and survive it if it cannot be changed?  

Your challenge: In a new poem, put yourself in the position of bullied, bully, ally or observer.  Bring awareness to the nature of bullying and/or the solution.

The Moral Bully 

by Oliver Wendell Holmes

YON whey-faced brother, who delights to wear

A weedy flux of ill-conditioned hair,

Seems of the sort that in a crowded place

One elbows freely into smallest space;

A timid creature, lax of knee and hip,

Whom small disturbance whitens round the lip;

One of those harmless spectacled machines,

. . . . 

(Read the rest HERE at PoemHunter.com)

Incident

by Countee Cullen

Once riding in old Baltimore,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee,
I saw a Baltimorean
Keep looking straight at me.

Now I was eight and very small,
And he was no whit bigger,
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me, 'Nigger.'

I saw the whole of Baltimore
From May until December;
Of all the things that happened there
That's all that I remember.

I SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN THIS LONG AGO IN HOPES YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN IT AND STILL BE HERE

By Tim Schaefer

when I was comin' up

it was up close

and personal

and in your face

(not Facebook)

one thing it does

when you're on the receiving end

is helps to build character

so develop a hard shell

kids

like that giant tortoise at the zoo

(and shine it with turtle wax)

and have some empathy

for your tormentors

for they are hurting

the same as you

and

consider the source

can't tell you how many times

that has seen me through

never once validated

or took their words

to heart

that's called knowing who you are

never knew anyone

of my generation

(them damn hippies!)

who checked out over it

cuz

there is a place

deep inside

at your very core

where no one can hurt you

find it

it is your strength

and your reserve

and one day

it will lead you

triumphant

into the sun

(Posted with the poet's permission.  

This poem was featured last week at I Wish I'd Written This)

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Please share your new poem using Mr. Linky below and visit others 
in the spirit of the community.

                       

 (Next week Susan's Midweek Motif will be - Picnic)

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