Bullies Do Cry Too

….When last were you bullied? Bullying is not just physical; there can be emotional bullying, verbal bullying, psychological bullying, and social bullying. The “bully” in this poem is in the category of all of the aforesaid….the remedy given is ‘makgonatsotlhe’- 'one-size-fits all'.

[Poem written in 2010]

[Picture by the author]

The unruly bully raced brazenly into my world

Hitherto my esteem was strong in deed and in word

But his onerous feature defaced the wholesome picture

His pulls and pushes equalled wreck and ruin to my fixture

I dreaded streets that I once treaded steadily and gaily

I hid where I was needed and emotionally bled daily

I socially shrunk and sank deeply into the abyss of fear

I relied on lies and tied myself to bonds I couldn’t tear

When the unruly bully showed up or spoke up I dried up

Even his absence smelled strongly and my reticence piled up

Soon I realised I had idealised a dwarf in the body of a giant

To cast off the spellbinding power the bully had to be gaunt

I delved deeper into my innermost and dug out my self esteem

Entranced with adrenaline I restructured my mind to self-redeem

I droned myself into trusting my capacity to reverse my status

To retrieve self-esteem and restore my dignity to previous quotas

Admitting that bullies bully because they are betrayed by base qualities

I found in me limitless reserves of resolution and resources of abilities

When next the bully dared me to stare I stared into the feeble face

And pronounced to his eyes that my fear had dissipated without trace

The bully to my shock buried his face in his huge hands and cried

My empathy could not have been at naught even if I had tried

I discerned the fragility that betrayed me to be the façade of his power

That strength of character can match the solidity of the tallest tower.

By Andrew Sesinyi.