Scars

SCARS

The wounds caused by cruelty
Of children to children
Create scars that last a lifetime.
I know - I still remember
Thirty-three years later.

How can a child exhibit
Utter innocence at one time
And calculate malice at another?

Where does the cruelty come from?
Is it inherent?
If so, can it be tempered?
Is it learned?
If so, can it be eliminated?

It's hard for children to endure
The wounds of humiliation.
It's hard for parents to help,
Since they frequently don't know.

Kids are too embarrassed to tell.
They often think they deserve what happened.
Thirty-three years have passed,
But I still haven't told my parents.

In junior high school I tried out for cheerleading;
I had been a cheerleader before.
For some reason - I never knew why -
The student body picked the cheerleaders that year.

For some reason - I never knew why -
The student body jeered me off the floor.

For some reason - I never knew why -
Some students asked, "Were you surprised by what happened?"

For some reason - I never knew why -
They laughed in my face as I choked back the tears.

For some reason - I never knew why -
I was too humiliated to tell my family.
I guess I thought they'd eventually find out -
Everyone else knew.

I'm sure everyone else soon forgot the incident -
But I didn't.
I'm sure everyone else thought it had been a joke -
But I didn't.
I'm sure no one else remembers the story -
But I do.

I learned from the humiliation
To try never to humiliate anyone.
I learned from the hostility
To try never to hate anyone.
I learned from the public jeering
To try never to publicly embarrass anyone.

Maybe the incident helped to develop character;
Maybe it's made me more sensitive;
Maybe I'm better off because it happened.

I didn't think so at the time.