And The Child Said... Poem by Elizabeth Padillo Olesen

"I was bullied in school
I came home and cried
and mother and father
did not listen to me at all."

He confessed:
" I did not follow what
was expected of me
I said no to rules and duties
and I was spanked for being
disobedient and clumsy. "

Then a thought came
to his mind, the way to end
the pain of being bullied,
the pain of being not
trusted, the pain of being
ignored even by his own family.

Then the child said to himself,
"Well, I could follow the adult way
I could end up my life by hanging
myself, or by cutting my veins
or by jumping before a running train."

He thought he had found an easy way-
His tragic exit from this world
of bullies, of pain and sorrow,
a sure exit from his hurting ego.
In death he said, "No one would bully,
judge, spank or disown me."

Then he heard a preacher's voice
telling of every life so precious
as gift from God above
and each one was invited
to offer one's life back to God
by letting such life develop and grow.

This voice and message
Stopped his planned tragic exit.
From life's misery as a child
He said, "Yes, I am not the Lord
of my life, but this life is God's gift
to me which I should give back
by loving all those around me."

And the child slept that night
And he dreamed: How nice
if the teachers could protect him
from bullying and mobbing,
and his parents could tell him everyday
that they love him unconditionally.
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Very much saddened by many suicide attempts the young children are committing… Response to documentary film on suicide cases.