The One

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It has been a few weeks since I have written a slice.  This was not an easy one to write, but one that needed to be written.

This poem is about an unusual form of bullying, a silent bullying that goes on in many schools.  The way we treat people or in many cases, the way we fail to treat people can have a lasting effect, sometimes even a fatal one.  It is my hope the we continue to teach kindness in our schools, so young people will continue to keep their flames burning brightly.

The One

You don't know me personally,

But I am sure you know someone just like me.

When I was in elementary school, 

I was the one not chosen 

to be on a team

to read with a partner

to share a seat on the school bus.

I was the one not invited to birthday parties.

I was the one left to swing by myself

in my own little world

with no friends.

When I was in middle school, 

I was the one walking down the hall by myself.

I was the one who ate lunch alone

at the table farthest away from everyone else.

I was the one who didn't play sports
or play an instrument

or belong to the in-crowd.

Now, I am a senior in high school.

I am the one with a 4.0 GPA.

I am the one who has the potential 

to reach goals

to go far

to do anything I set out to do.

But I am also the one who sits home on Friday and Saturday nights.

I don't go to the football games.

I don't go to parties

I don't hang out with friends.

I am the quiet kid who doesn't get into trouble.
I am the one who is a people-pleaser.

I am the one who makes good decisions.

Most of the time.

I am the one about to make a decision that will affect many people.

I am the one about to take my own life,

to extinguish it 

like blowing out the flame of a candle.

Just like that,

I am the one who will no longer exist

in world where I have no friends
where I feel I don't belong

where I don't fit in.

People will blame themselves
and wonder if they missed something

if they could have stopped me.

They will wonder if I was the one

who was picked-on 

who was bullied.

None of that is true.

You see I am the one who was never hit

or harassed 

or intimidated

or teased.

I am a victim of an unwanted visitor 

who has been with me for a long time.

I am a victim of the silent bully,

the bully who pays no attention to kids like me.

I am the one who is simply ignored.

Maybe, just maybe
 if someone would have taken the opportunity
to get to know me

to become my friend,

I could be the one with the flame still burning.