There is nothing so insidious,
evil,
contemptible,
damnable,
as the systematic manipulation
of a child's diaphragm...
"Stop crying!"
"No talking!"
"No laughing!"
coupled with the anxiety of tense muscles
that never get release
a child loses all sense of humanity
and becomes a disease,
a contagious disease
Children cry, children weep
through the horrid silence your elders seek
children cry, softly cry, children cry
We do not need to look far to see examples
of those who's breathing is forever altered
unable to cry cleansing tears,
lost to spontaneous giggles,
unable to sleep without terrors,
forever serving the machinery of commodity worship
as worker,
consumer,
and recruiter...
Children cry, children weep
through the horrid silence your elders seek
children cry, softly cry, children cry
I lead a one-man campaign to bring back
the softness of a child's breathing
the cleansing tears
the spontaneous giggles
and I hope against hope that we can be even more contagious
as our tears and giggles inoculate the world
one-child-at-a-time
I sing my lullaby of hope
teach it to anyone who will listen
Children cry, children weep
through the horrid silence your elders seek
children cry, softly cry, children cry
Author notes
People at the breakfast cafe were all worried about me as I cried writing this. The serious looks on their faces made me giggle. Yet, somehow I am the odd one.
In a list
A contest entry
- My Birthday Xmas Plea For Compassionate Poets... by Iohagh.
850 points, ended January 1, 2007, 19 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 10 of 10
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!
and i am the awed one ; )
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Where?
Was this one when I needed it? Hopes some others profit from it though.
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Let truth sting ..... stop the evil ring
This is one outstanding piece dear, thank you so much for inviting me to look at it. You were absolutely correct, I do love it. Society is so caught up in political correctness today that our children have become robotic, they no longer are allowed to think for themselves, if they use their own creativeness they are called freaks, I often wonder why folks scream so loud at the mention of cloneing, for as a society isn't that exactly what is being done slowly to today's youth. We try so hard to make them all carbon copies of our expectations rather then let them be free to be themselves. I wrote a piece called " Let me be me" on this very subject. You did an outstanding job addressing this issue dear and I hope my applause confirms the enjoyment I had in reading your work.
Hugs,
Suzi
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exelent
fantastic! i love these words! some people tell me that i gave my children too much liberty as i always encouraged ,what i call open speaking,we all are allowed to ask each other anything and we all show our emotions (including me) the main rule in the home being we never hurt one another,if they are cross they were allowed to *storm* up and slam their bedroom door until they could calm down ,if i did something that displeased them ,i hoped that they would tell me just as i would tell them.i never hid my tears,if i was unhappy i let them see me cry but i always told them why i felt as i did and asked them what they thought about the situation.
a lot of people said this would make them into cheeky moody kids..it never happened,they have always been complimented on how good mannered they are.they have never worried about showing their emotions and we had problems but were able to talk about them and sort them out without *screaming matches* or tantrums.
i am happy to say that the grown up kids teach their children the same and my seven yr old (oops 8 now ).is a happy lovable spoilt *brat* in some peoples eyes just like the others were.
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The best thing we can do for our children is let them be children.
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Allan, I don't know what was better, hearing you read this, or seeing the form of it on screen, I love the form. I always enjoy the spontaneous laughter and big bright smile of my little girl, I do not mind her tears, as I kiss them away, and she goes to bed every night knowing that she is loved. This was such a touching, and sad write, but the hope in the end outshone the sadness eveloping much of our youth today. You are not on a one man crusade, let me assure you. This was amazing.
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Welcome to your contest wishing you the best...
Darling
I answered this before
and it got lost
saying much, much more
I paid that cost.
Courage to stand apart
is worth so much
based upon your heart
as our heart's touch.
Smoosh
Janet
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Answered before, said much more? You speak in riddles... I like that. Thanks for your kind words.
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we may agree to disagee however I cannot fault your talent or creativity ...you have written some write here I must say that I am in awe of this piece...
funny I used to be one of those children , I never had a voice back then . thank you for this moving piece thank you for giving us all a voice....
Jamila
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Yes Poet ... you are correct ...
... do not cry, do not touch, do not laugh, be quiet, do not be angry, do not be down, do not show you are indeed a human being. Be a machine, do not feel, do not show emotion, be rational. How destructable this socialization to "cultivate" children into the discipline of unnatural emotional deprivation!
Well said.
Love
Always Myra
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