Time For Physical Action, Not More Tweets

My reaction, to an article on yahoo.ca news.

Grew up

In an age

When computers were

Still science fiction

But

This was changing

Before my very eyes

With each year

I got older.

.

Apple was

A fruit

You ate.

Not

A system to surf

The Internet.

But bullying was

The scourge

Of many

A child.

As I was one.

Silence

Was standard response.

Or "kids

Being kids"

By the adults

When the issue

Was brought forward.

Never mind

The suicides

And failed attempts

Of children

Crying out

For help.

By my twelfth birthday

Had already attempted

Three different times

To end my pain.

Hiding my true self

So deep.

It took 28 years

To reemerge

From the darkness

Into the light.

Something

I hid

From my parents

As a badge of shame.

Scared

Of being labelled

A wimp or worse.

Already been told

To suck up

My emotions

As a six year old

By my dad.

Slipping ever deeper

Into darkness

And not knowing.

Why this

Was happening.

Am cynical

At the latest news

Of another child.

Who commits suicide

And the reactions

It's drawing

From social media sites.

Where

The f--- were you?

When this

Was happening

To this poor child?

So easy

To be righteous

After the fact.

Behind the cloak

Of amenity

That social media

Provides.

It angers me

People aren't willing

To demonstrate

Their outrage

In person.

Which

Has a greater affect

Than a mere tweet

Will ever have

Given this issue.

https://ca.shine.yahoo.com/12-year-old-s-suicide-sparks-social-media-outrage--is-it-enough-204836036.html

Author's Note

For more years, than I can remember, I have endure bullying, in various forms, as a child and later, as an adult. Am sharing part of my life history, with this poem.

Reviews

[Lyn Anderson]

I agree with you. Bullying is a horrible scourge, and to be honest, a lot of the hype in my kids' school to me trivializes bullying and doesn't prevent the real serious stuff from happening in the underneath.

[therisa]

Like putting a new coat of paint on a badly dented car, hoping people don't see the real damage that has/or is happening, to the body, right now.

[Tobias Pine]

with every passing year of social media and it's development, animosity only increases around the world. It's so easy to say things you never could in person, so easy to hurt people. People are powerless without social media, without a way for there opinions to be heard by anyone and everyone. People who say "it get's better", fail to realize how little that matters to depressed people. The reason they've contemplated killing themselves to end their suffering, is because it's never gotten better for them. They've waited, and waited and things only seem to get worse. The pain you feel is justified Therisa, and felt by too few

[therisa]

Tobias, I wish, my pain didn't exist, for anyone. AS for social media, it great for sharing, but as an instrument of change, I am still waiting to see that happen.

[Tobias Pine]

Oh no! Sorry I didn't mean the depression, suicidal pain! I meant the pain in how people endure this depression everyday, and that people can be righteous and zealous behind their anonymous veils of cyber space. I am so sorry for what I just said, people should never have to endure pain like that you and so many others know all too well.

[therisa]

It's ok, Tobias. No harm taken, honest. :)

[MomzillaNC]

It's a sad state of affairs that society still seems unable to effect change to prevent such tragedies and contemplation of suicide.

[therisa]

I don't think, it ever will, Momzilla. Just thinking this, saddens me.

[MomzillaNC]

I hope it will get better. But, I don't think it will ever be eradicated.

[therisa]

Bullying, like abuse, is crime of power, and people will never give power, willingly.