A Sonnet for My Grade School Bully

I wanted approval, that high regard

So I found it in friends, and grades – it’s hard

When kids compare, what you so often hear

Are harsh words and half-truths flung through the air

I retreated a bit, and found that it’s true:

Words – they can hurt - and that harm has a hue

If you’re hit, the bruises are blue and black:

Then soften to a yellow and you can come back

Words leave no mark; you can tell they were said

There’s weight on your heart, and aches in your head

I resent that I spent that time blending

Into the crowd; to the slurs; and relenting

They say only the good die young, so child;

I’m quite sure you’ll be around for a while