TOUCHED, by Alexandra

From third to fifth
School was hard
Not because homework was tough
But because I was ripped to shards

“ALEXANDRA’S COMING!” to the left
“ALEXANDRA TOUCH!” to the right
“RUN!!!!!” all around me
Tears blurred my sight

What was just teasing became abuse
My fellow classmates were now monsters
Taking words to horrible use
“Oh, we’re just having fun with you, hurr hurrz!”

The teachers ignored my pleas
Wrapped up in just getting their pay
They didn’t stop the pain
They didn’t want to hear what I had to say

In fifth grade, it went downhill
My life started to slip and fall
I hated school, loathed going
But I didn’t want to play ill

After fifth grade, I was freed
No longer dealing with those crooks
It felt like I had wings
And nobody’d give me looks

Today it is much, much better
I am in a much better state than back then
I no longer have to worry
I can enjoy life again

But my scars still remain
They are not visible, but internal
I will never forget those cruel years
And I hope nobody will

Treat everyone the way you want to be treated
If you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all
You may be bored of hearing those phrases
But they are more important than they are small

~Touched, by Alexandra
“This is a poem describing the pain I went through in my mid-to-late elementary school years. A kid in my grade decided to start something called the “Alexandra Touch” (It’s similar to the cooties, except apparently I was the source of the “germs”) in 3rd grade, and it got to the point where I thought one day everyone would come to school in hazmat suits all because of me. It was an EXTREMELY tough time for me, especially in 5th grade, causing me to come down with depression. Being bullied severely to the point of abuse and the teachers not even helping me, I felt like they didn’t want me there. Thankfully, my psychologist and my parents helped me through and encouraged me, and today, although I have remained depression-free, I still have terrible emotional scars, as well as PTSD. Even so, I’m still going strong and am trying to spread the word about bullying and tell teens that no matter if it’s just lighthearted teasing or outright taunting, words and actions can permanently damage a person not just on the outside, but on the inside.
I am glad to contribute to this project, and I hope my story will impact people of all ages about the horror of having to go through bullying or discrimination and teach other teens that no matter what, WORDS HURT MORE THAN ACTIONS.”