Analysis of Take Heed of The Words That Cut

Take Heed of The Words That Cut ©
Gary Shulman, MS. Ed.
August 4, 2021

As a chubby misfit Brooklyn boy,
crew cut hair with slick butch wax
Never quite melding with the other boys
Just giving you the facts
With belly rotund with cream filled treats
He couldn’t buy regular children’s pants
So “husky” pants he had to buy
Regardless of his protests and rants
So one day he rebelled
To his mom he loudly yelled
Not me, no not these grown-up jeans!
To his young undeveloped fragile mind
It all just seemed quite obscene
His mom’s seemingly cold and potent reply
That haunts him to this very day
Dear mommy said just matter of factly,
“Who looks at you anyway?”
That knife cut deep like a well sharpened dagger
His very heart and soul to crush
His self-confidence was to forever stagger
Coming from one he loved so much
Take careful note of what you say
To vulnerable children each and every day
The adult grows up to always see
In that mirror a reflection of what used to be
That little chubby boy in so much pain
Always hearing those words like a repeated refrain
Who looks at you anyway?
Who really is going to care?
About pants hanging from your body
Or that butch wax on your hair?
Not saying on purpose
Those words were cruelly flung
But when they come from those you love
The adult is forever stung
Words have super powers
They can set a course for life
A course of supreme confidence
Or self-loathing constant strife
To all the moms and dads out there
Grandparents, brothers, sisters too
Heed those words to the vulnerable children
Their very future is up to you!