Caren Krutsinger Poet Free verse

Parents Set the Tone

Shirt says runs with scissors
Hat says shut up woman
First day of kindergarten
Parents have already set the tone
 
Child knows swear words
Uses them proudly
Anticipating loud laughter
Crestfallen and confused
When it does not happen
 
Sad lonely eight-year-old
No birthday party invites
No children allowed to play with him
Set up for failure before he learned his letters
 
Parents angry
School did not fix him
We tried to let him know he was not broken,
But he already believed he was

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Rhona Mcferran September 21, 2018 at 6:50 PM Very aptly described. The last two lines especially resonated, "We tried to let him know he was not broken,/ But he already believed he was"... as that was how I felt as a child. The good news is- I remember every tiny act of kindness from those years- and it still means a lot!!! Your work is planting seeds that may eventually take root, even years from now (when they're out of that horrible environment)! Rhona Mcferran September 22, 2018 at 12:36 AM YES, that is good news! Maybe the family will begin to heal and recover now. Caren Krutsinger September 21, 2018 at 8:38 PM Good news today. A mean dad moved away from a family I know. I always like it when that happens.

M. L. Kiser September 21, 2018 at 5:51 PM The poor kid; that is difficult. So many kids end up with the tone preset for them by parents and daycare workers, sometimes. A superb depiction. Caren Krutsinger September 21, 2018 at 8:39 PM Thank you. I am sort of an expert in the "poor" kid department. One of my friends once gave me an Orphan Annie plate. When I asked why she said, "Because you are the friend of the friendless."