The Danger Of The Stranger Poem by Paula Glynn

Entering London
First friendly and funny friends
Then to unexpected enemies
All hatred consuming my soul
The danger of the stranger.

Childhood innocence
And safe childhood memories
Then school begins
From teenage to adult
Girls and boys
With deep insecurities
And having no voice
Where they obey without a choice
Being played like broken toys
Learning the danger of the stranger.

Growing into adulthood
To learn hatred and rage
Resentment and jealousy
Love gone, instead anger here
And much, much fear
The danger of the stranger.

A mad world, pain about,
Freedom a myth
Taught in childhood
Where once glorious colours
Now only black, white and grey
Like ebbing winter clouds
On that horrible school day
The cold world
A world made of stone
Leaving me to shiver to the bone
The danger of the stranger,

Like accepting tempting sweets
From that seemingly mature adult
But it is all a trick:
A trick of the light
Hard to defend oneself
And put up a self preserving fight
The adult to abuse,
Scold and emotions confuse
The mind lost in upset and dread
Sometimes wishing oneself dead
Where they live in a world
Where no one sees red
The danger of the stranger.

In my mind searing pain
Like a thousand knives
Piercing my bruised back
And leaving me to bleed
Ignored in my hour of need
To be branded a fool
Others hurting me to look cool
The danger of the stranger.

Seeing others suffer
Brings me down
To the lower levels of hell
Where Satan does his job well
Satan watching them bleed
And ignoring them
In their hour of need
Where they need permission
To make their dreams come true
Not knowing they
Had once been losers too
Having themselves fallen for
The danger of the stranger.