The Pusillanimous Parent

behind of a supposed strong & mature “adult”
who advertises to others their ability to
“discipline” their child,
lies a great fear stirring,
which comes out in the actions taken to make
that little child submit to their will
from early on---
when rebelled against,
the pusillanimous parent lashes out like a
dictator trying to hold onto a dwindling empire
forcing the young one to do as they are told,
often doing their best not to laugh at what they believe to be
the utter powerlessness of this being 
that they have dragged into this world
without having gained permission to do so---
hiding behind religious babblings
that cheer on those that beat the little one physically or
psychologically
all in the name of feeling powerful,
so that when the “adult” comes home from a day of
being ignored & disrespected in the work place or
cast out in any number of the relationships with other human beings
that they themselves have created as products of their own
choices (so unlike the child they “discipline”),
they can feel as if they still have an iota of control left in their lives---
that they can still mold something into what they want it to be
without it launching a full attack upon
them,
from which they may never fully recover---
and though this may be the way that the “adult” was treated 
when they themselves were developing,
such repetition only increases & prolongs 
the severe cycle of abuse,
whose domino effect of violence & mental obliteration
echoes throughout the rest of society
smashing from hand to hand
with so many acting as if this is a healthy way to treat others
with so many acting as if
this had to be done,
while in reality this “adult” is the biggest coward of them all,
having gotten into more than they bargained for,
having not thought too long before 
producing another human being.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2012



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Date: 10/28/2013 7:14:00 AM
This is a very strong poem and paints a picture of a bully well. It is full of wisdom. Very best wishes, Linda x
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