Forcasting Rain...........................

 

Hold my umbrella, keep

their words off my head

protect me

from this

cold

hard

acidic rain

as the ridicule falls

it drowns me

with arthritic pain.

 

Can I stand behind you

to hide my face

I cannot show them my light

they might blow it out

making my day 

a darker night.

 

Speak for me please

my mouth cannot open

but I hear their whispers

every word

seams to shrink me smaller

pull me back up

I need your help

to stand a little taller.

Reviews

[Frieda P]

This is an extraordinary write, very deep and personal...someplace in time I think we've all visited at one time or another. We become numb to if we're lucky, then there are those currents of despair that rain upon our soul so wounding. Captivating read.

[Muse]

being taunted and bullied as a child...34 years old now Frieda...but still, when I'm around a group of people I don't know, or around people I went to school with...I feel like I'm ten again...shrinking...shrinking I am.

[Frieda P]

I understand that well, I've never been bullied except by my own father, and I regress quite easily in the face of any kind of connection whatsoever.

[Muse]

my Dad did that too..called me stupid on a regular basis..I guess that's why bullying strikes a sensitive chord with me.

[Frieda P]

oh I got 'idiot' after stupid, how fun eh? That song 'Memories' comes to mind!

[Muse]

better yet....later in life I heard "I think of you and sex" in the same sentence....so he's dead to me now. Even if related by blood...some people cause too much pain to keep them around.

[Muse]

sorry Frieda...sorry for us..and all the dead beat fathers.

[Frieda P]

Same here dear friend, we showed them though, rose above it, most days anyway!

[Muse]

what does not kill us..can only make us stronger...wiser. xo

[Frieda P]

Yes but first it drives us insane! ;-)

[Muse]

I have underestimated the emotional scars..my gawd...after conversing with you briefly..I had to sit in a dark quiet room for a few minutes...regain composure.

[Frieda P]

Sorry, didn't mean to open old wounds. xo

[Renée]

Tenders souls..torn..you speak so well for so many...and you did a beautiful job ....rebar and duct tape until we get stronger..and we do get stronger in spite of...

[Muse]

I don't know that I'm stronger..but I feel more compassion...but some days I feel it's more of a curse to understand and sense another's pain..their pain becomes my own.

[Renée]

I understand...but know.. you are stronger..you just don't realize it..xo

[.]

~ oh... to be able to stand it... and still stand...

~ you're very tall... you speak for many of us today... and so beautifully...

~ shine on you crazy diamond... :)

[Muse]

I stand taller....but I know I have yet to touch the ceiling with self-confidence.

[.]

~ me too... me too... it'll happen if we don't give up... if we don't settle for less...

[Muse]

I know now I deserve better. Thank you..

[.]

~ you do... you definitely do... ~ no one deserves to be scarred by psychological battering of any kind... ~ i've been fighting for my right to be as confident as anyone else since a very long time... and i won't give up... no matter what anyone says...

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i see what Frieda said...but i also see (and maybe cause my mind is often there) the harsh critics that knock our work and crush our ego...we want to hide from them..but maybe we should just get rid of the umbrella and just smile at them and continue to do our thing...

"sticks and stones'''--thrown from people who live in glass houses who can't write one good line themselves.

i really like this poem.

[SkinlessFrank]

I think we all have the scared child in us. Some are willing to acknowledge that, others build castles and drop bombs. If only we would all help each other though. Such an honest and clear-headed write.

[icelandicblue]

This is such a visceral poem. Your imagery is really taut and conveys a lot of emotion. I loved this description:

Can I stand behind you
to hide my face
I cannot show them my light
they might blow it out

Sometimes that light can never be rekindled. This is a masterful poem that speaks to the victim but also to the bystanders who can make a difference if they intervene.

[Muse]

I only needed that one soul to stand behind...I found solice in my art...I hid behind it too, my art teacher let me hide in his classroom as often as I wanted too...he become my protector. He will always have a special place in my heart.

[The Analog Kid]

Sad feel. I know exactly where you're coming from. I don't feel that way in crowds, but there is one person that did this to me as a kid and I still can't forgive him when my thoughts revert to being 12 again. I often wonder how this shaped me for good or bad...

[Muse]

Sometimes, I had to fake sick to avoid school, ate my lunch in the bathroom, my mom had to threaten the cops because I was being harrassed after school too...some days I wanted to die.

[The Analog Kid]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I stopped taking the bus in middle school and spent recess constantly in fear. Not because or being afraid of a one on one confrontation, but because a bully always brings a posse...

[Muse]

nothing is worse then living that fear out daily...what I do now...teach my children TO NOT be a victim. To stand up for others...my oldest has already done this on two different occasions....I tell her to fight with love....but if forced to, she has the right to use physical force to protect herself. I'm so proud of her.I never want her to feel small!

[The Analog Kid]

That's great advice. I tell my kids to defend themselves and others regardless of the school rules.

[Muse]

Exactly right!

[David Scott]

Oh my... I could not imagine you feeling this. Yes, I have felt it. So in that sense, I can project that you too feel the "cold hard acidic rain". You have this and many other reviews to whisper back at the darkness that you matter and that your work is above the minds of those who would deminish you in any way. I stand tall beside a writer that has creativity and insight. No rain for your forcast any longer!
Be well.

[MIB]

I really enjoyed that poem keep up the awesome work ;)

[The Surrealist inside ...]

Beautifully written ...
Keep up the good work :-)