A Poem About Bullying - Written by a Child

This is a poem written by my son. He wrote it at school, just a few months ago when he was 10. The children had been involved in a classroom discussion about bullying, after which their task was to write a poem on the subject. It must be said that my son is not usually a fan of writing, especially poetry. He considers writing a chore; something to get out of the way as quickly as possible. Sometimes, however, I find myself surprisingly impressed by pieces of his work.

This is one such piece. His teacher must have thought the same, as it was selected from all the other children's poems about bullying to be read out in assembly. My son didn't really want to do this at first - he doesn't much like speaking in front of an audience. However, afterwards he felt proud.

Bullying is a very important subject, of course. Although schools have procedures in place to deal with bullying, it still does go on in schools, and can make the life of the victim miserable. School should be a happy place, where children can feel safe, secure and positive. From my own personal experience, I feel bullying is better dealt with than it was during my own school days. However, even bullying on a minor level can leave a child feeling isolated, leading to loss of confidence and low self-esteem.

When my son wrote this poem, he wrote it as an acrostic. Actually, it is not really an acrostic - on the last but one line he forgot that 'knees' started with a 'k' and instead wrote 'nees'. Apart from that small mistake, it is, or would have been. This wasn't a required element; rather, it was just the way the poem turned out. I think it is simplistic but insightful. He is not a boy whose life has so far been adversely affected by bullying, but none-the-less, it shows us the world through the eyes of a victim.

I think you can tell the poem is written by a child as you read it. It has an innocent and simple feel about it. But a poem about a child being bullied is better off being written by someone young. It rings true, and that is why I believe it deserves to be published here.

Bullying is a bad stain on a clean shirt.

Unlike loving or caring, it is hating and horrible,

Like getting punched so hard you are hammered into the wall.

Like pain but worse.

You are in your own world of being upset and hurt.

Inside, the bully is a ball of anger being kicked at you,

Knees trembling, waiting for another day of misery.

Goodbye pain, you have told an adult and things are better.

(written by a 10 year old student)