A LOST BOY, by Rissa R

They took him in,
The harsh tides of Lake Michigan.
He pushed and stuggled,
To simply stay above water.
But he was pulled under,
Sinking, Drowning.

If only people could have understood,
What that boy had been through.
Even I didn’t know him perfectly,
But he did cheat death once,
After his face was scarred,
In a fire that tried to engulf him.

Nobody ever treated him,
The way he deserved to be treated.
It wasn’t his fault he was slow,
Or was covered in scars.
They bullied and teased him,
And I just stood there and watched it.

He’s gone now though.
I’ll never get to speak with him again.
Never be able to tell him,
That I thought he was pretty cool.
I just hope he is happy now,
And god took him as an angel.

~A Lost Boy, by Rissa R
“This is a poem about a boy I knew who drowned in Lake Michigan this summer. I guess you could say he was my friend because I helped him out in my government class a lot. And he was a pretty cool guy. But he was a bit on the slow side, with a talking disorder and people just bullied him all the time. Eventually, I did start defending him, even when one of my best friends said something mean to him I slapped him. But then I read in the news that he drowned this summer, and I just felt awful. I wish I could have been better friends with him, so I could have understood him better. But it’s too late now, he’s gone.”