What’s the saying?
How did it go?
Sticks and stones
Can be a blow
But words won’t leave
You shattered?

Justified,
This cannot be,
When hurtful words
You cannot flea,
Even upon
Isolation.

Ideas like these
Should be put
To bed.
They cause more harm
Within your head,
Then help
Within reason.

Scars, wounds, and gashes
That leave the soul
To grieve
Are just the tip
Of the iceberg
Of what remarks
Can leave.

What solace
Could be found
Within these empty words?
To seek some comfort
From this saying
Is startlingly absurd.

The sting from perjure
Is marked as distorted.
False feelings conjured,
Yet hurt is not averted.
A tear stained cheek,
A quivering lip,
Fail in being skirted.

So why do we
Continue
To tell our youth
This lie?
To send them down the path
Where feelings go to die?

We need to foster
Expression!
To broadcast,
“It’s okay
To feel a little hurt
When you have been
Betrayed!”

It’s normal to feel
Saddened
When times turn cruel.
Your emotions wont abide
By another rule.

Its time to start
A movement,
Instead of bottling the hurt,
That these words are false
Because everyone is diverse.

It’s normal to be skinny.
It’s normal to be fat.
It’s normal to feel mannish.
It’s normal to be black.
It’s fine having acne.
It’s fine being gay.
It’s common to express religion.
Today is your day!

Appearances might be
Distressing,
But every body changes.
Remember all the butterflies
Had ugly
Worm-like phases.

You may ask
How these opposites
Could reside within the norm.
But no human being
Has exactly the same form.

Be yourself.
Do what you like,
And say how you feel.
They may say you don’t fit in,
But it’s better to be real.