Thursday 19 October 2017

I was/They were...

(Warning: there is some disturbing content and the end is dark. It started playful with a thesaurus and some rhymes. It took over and got dark fast. But so does the news. I have often wondered, have I helped create those ' villains'? And what would it  take for me to become one.)

...unimpressed...
In school I dressed for success
Wore my medals on my chest
Endured the test
Tried to be like the rest
They treated me like a pest
The effort left me stressed
Hurt, strung out and depressed
...and they kept on eating

...banal...
Strolling laughing past my job at the mall
They tried to make me feel small
Rolling eyes as I passed in the hall
Always last to get the ball
Its a big joke when I fall
Because I'm not built like a Ken doll
Into my cave of books and games I'd crawl
...and they kept on eating 

...insipid...
There's nowhere I fitted
My soul like my complexion pitted
The snickering rumor I was flaccid
Condemnation unaquitted
A trackless crime once committed
No evidence to be submitted
Words are flames that flicker wicked
...and they kept on eating 

...bland..
Because I play tuba in the band
Against bullies I don't make a stand
None of my clothes are a designer brand
I turn lobster when the rest are tanned
I don't have the snide words at my command
I'm only intimate with my own hand
My grinding teeth sound like sand
...and they kept on eating 

...glib..
Dress like hookerst talking about women's lib
Acting 40 barely out of the crib
Big jock boys smash you in the rib
Talk about scoring it's just a fib
Got a short fuse they call me Squib
Chanting, 'little Squib needs a bib'
Written on my forehead with a sharpie nib
...and they kept on eating 

...vacuous...
If anyone survives it'll be miraculous
If you put out they call you promiscuous
If you don't then you're gender ambiguous
They think poison words are innocuous
Tried to stay anonymous
An angry target is conspicuous
I cut myself because I'm useless
...and they kept on eating 

...aloof...
My life seems like a movie spoof
Photoshop me with my dog call me woof woof
Nice burn but you're not fireproof
Boys beat me down cause I'm a goof
Wolves corner a moose get a face full of hoof
I've got a plan that's foolproof
Got my hunting rifle and some pipe bombs on the roof
...and no one is eating
No one is laughing
Have I got your attention now? 


4 comments:

  1. Powerful. Really powerful.
    You've got my full attention, had it probably from the third line ;)
    Thank you for letting your poem take over, it did a great job!
    (I'm kidding! Thank you for working to release these words. They need to be shared and heard).

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  2. The question -- without an answer -- that has to be asked is why does it go on unabated for years and years when it has to be witnessed by so many? Your poem is the ideal home for "and they kept on eating". Your poem speaks for the voiceless across the land. It is appreciated.

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  3. One of the most powerful poems I have read - it begs to be spoken.

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  4. Wow! Left me gasping for breathe. A powerful and evocative poem, Mark.

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