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Teen Poetry #9

Letter to the bystander

madelyn
Member

since 2009-09-03

Posts 172
Purgatory

0 posted 2011-03-20 07:35 AM

Part two of three
***

Dear Bystanders,
What is so funny about a girl being teased?
What is so funny about a boy being punched?
What is so funny about spreading a rumour?
What is so funny about watching someone’s life start to crumble?

Who are you to laugh?
Who are you to not get help?
Who are you to help spread gossip?
Who are you to just stand by?

Where are you when they need help?
Where is your conscience?
Where are you when the gossip is being spread?
Where is your common sense?

When is the line being crossed?
When are the teacher’s going to be called?
When is time to stand up and intervene?
When are you going to learn?

How do you just watch?
How do you not help?
How do you just laugh?
How do you not run for aid?

Why do you laugh so hard?
Why do you egg the bully on?
Why don’t you stand up and help?
Why don’t you stop it?

You can change somebody’s life for the better
Or you can help someone else ruin their lives forever

It takes one to change something
It takes one to help
It takes one to stop it
If you were that one
Maybe you’d inspire someone else
To be another one
And they would inspire another
And then another would be inspired

You have a choice
You can look at it in two lights

There is one difficult right way

And one easy wrong way

or

There is the right way where
You are saving someone
From the mental and physical trauma
Of getting bullied

And one wrong way
Where you are helping someone
Tear someone else’s hopes and dreams
To shreds

You have a choice
I hope you make the right one.

"If I am an angel paint me with black wings"-Anne Rice

XGarapanX
Senior Member

since 2008-06-19

Posts 1435
Antarctica

1 posted 2011-03-22 02:41 PM

Beautifully said. But this line answers your own question...

"Where is your conscience?"

It is seared by repetitive choices to do wrong to others. The momentary thrill of such ugliness will cost many people far more than they might realize.

·´~`·»Garapan«·´~`· "Look! Crumbs on his jacketses... Heeee took it!"

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