Sticks and Stones

“The heart may believe in itself, but the ears will believe what others say.” Back in the day (we won’t even discuss how long ago that was) the neighborhood bully was usually that kid that would punch me in the stomach and take my lunch money. I knew exactly who it was, and I had choices. I could run away and hide every time I saw him coming or stand toe to toe with him. Nowadays it’s a different story. Because social media gives people a mask to hide behind. We may not even know who the bully is. A bully can come in all shapes and sizes just like bullying comes in many different forms. With so many posts filled with hate and negativity, do we ever really give much thought to who it is that’s reading our words. Words that can be sharper than any knife when used in anger or hatred. So, I hope that each of us will take a hard look at what it is that we are sharing and what lessons we are teaching our children. There is an old saying that we learned as kindergarteners, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” As a poet, I try to find the right combination of words that will complement the story I am trying to tell. I think that it's time we teach our children a different saying. Sticks and stones break bones, ugly words can destroy me, kindness never hurts.