The Perfectly Lovable
An Awareness to Bullying
As freshman year approaches
The teenager at age fifteen is in skinny jeans, a tight fitted shirt, and worn out Nikes
Her favorite class is filled with sweat and teacher coaches
Never would she imagine going back to the place she thought she put in the past
With nightmares, holidays, and tear-soaked bed sheets
She would soon find that this "wonderful life" would come to a stop, and fast
As the clown frowns
Is your child enjoying school halls
As she went to school, even the memory she drowns
Ignoring the concerned, crying calls
The band room was the worst
Instead of a human being, she became a voodoo doll
It's as if anything that had happened followed her in a curse
Their mocking laughter
Caused a boiling anger
What were they really after
Did they even know the danger
Her silent cries were a sign of wrath
Anyone could have missed it; even a stranger
The teenager currently still fifteen feels insecure about tight shirts and skinny jeans
Sometimes she wears a t-shirt with gym shorts
Would she have ever changed if she had the means
Though you might find her in short shorts on volleyball courts
Her skin over and over she cleans
Never feeling good enough
Their laughter of mockery
Was just a bluff
As if a note passed wasn't enough
They made fun of it as if they were tough
Nonetheless, she came out stronger
Now as an adult
Somedays you see her wearing t-shirts and gym shorts
You'd never guess she was bullied about an assault
While other days she wears a flannel with jeans or a dress with boots
Nowadays one small look could send her running to change
But even from her head to her foot
Even though broken; she's perfectly loveable
Types of Bullying and Life Long Impacts
I wrote this poem during a time when I just couldn't let this part of my past go. However, my experience isn't something we're going to go over; even though, bits and pieces of it are in the poem. With that said I'm going to bring light to the types of bullying and the life-long implications it can have.
There are four types of bullying; physical, verbal, social, and cyber. Physical bullying not only deals with bodily harm but includes valuable possession being destroyed as well. Verbal bullying is the use of words to break the victim down. Social bullying is the means of ruining the reputation and/or the relationship ties with said victim. Cyber bullying is the use of technology to target the victim; this includes: stalking, harassment, and using any information against him/her to gain means of control.
Bullies bully as a form to utilize control, power, and a sort of dominance over the bullied. The reason bullies are down-right mean through their bullying is because they feel inadequate, inferior, and jealous of what the targeted victim has and/or their power of control through subjects in which they've mastered (Such as getting a raise within their career, having the creative ability and using it to its full potential, etc.....). As you can tell there are many factors as to why bullying is a dangerous behavior; whether it be within the work place or in school.
Being a bully can have four potential life-long implications:
- The bully/bullied can be driven to a point of suicide.
- The bully is more likely to later have been involved in some sort of assault/violence.
- The bully is at higher risk to face incarceration.
- The bullied (if chosen to do so), can go from victim status to survivor/thriver through receiving therapy.
There is hope.
There is hope to recovering/healing the wounds of being a victim of bullying. The ways in which an individual can be involved to bring awareness are; making a focus group with fellow students, talk with schools about policy, listen when a fellow student comes with a concern, and make sure to know resources as both the bully and the bullied will need them. There are also hotlines in which the bully/bullied can call if at any given time they need help; these numbers are available at the end of this article.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-873-8255
Crisis Text Line: 741-741
121help.me: 1-855-201-2121
(Note: This hotline only helps youth up to 18).
Trevor Project Lifeline: 1-866-488-7386
(Note: This hotline only helps the LGBTQ community).
About the Creator
Mary McMichael
Hello, I'm Mary McMichael and I'm the founder of Survivors For Justice. I am in the process of writing my own book, getting my bachelor's in digital media, have a mind for creativity, and a big heart for people.
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