HOW CAN A POEM HELP?
It may seem strange to read and write poems about bullying. We all know about bullies, and many of us know about being bullied; we have been there. And unfortunately, most of us have witnessed a bully in action. But why choose poems as a way of looking at this
We already have codes of behaviour for everyone to follow — but do we?
We already have lessons in school about handling bullying situations — but do we?
What if we reflect on this problem by listening to poets as they take a careful look at bullies, the bullied, the bystanders, and the brave, and create the feelings that surround everyone involved in a bullying situation?
Sometimes in a very few well-chosen words,
a poet can help us see an event from a
different viewpoint, or from a different
angle, so that we understand more about everyone involved.
Maybe, just maybe, bullies reading these poems will see themselves inside the frame surrounding their destructive actions, and move outside the frame, taking a look at the pain they can inflict on a target.
Maybe, just maybe, targets will see why they have to change their own actions, why they have to reject the role of victim, and how
inner strength can result in altering how
And maybe, just maybe, those of us who
stare at and witness unfair acts of meanness will find in a poem a moment of recognition,
of suddenly knowing what we must do in
ALL THIS IN A COLLECTION OF POEMS?
You won’t know unless you begin, until you are inside the images and stories and ideas conjured up by poets who notice things we miss, events we forget too easily, people we would rather not remember.
Unlike “the deer in the headlights,” you need
to be prepared for some of life’s challenges, and taking a few moments to think about the issues surrounding bullying in these poems may change your own patterns of behaviour.
These poets hope so, and so do we.
— David Booth and Larry Swartz