Sticks and Stones

TW: homophobia, bullying, suicide

A girl at school

beat me up and said,

“you have two mothers,

with one dead

you will still be well.”

so I came home

crying to my mothers.

Mother said,

“sticks and stones

may break my bones

but words will

never hurt me”.

in words.

Then say,

why did those

words hurt me

more than words

ever have?

when i said

my mothers are

being laughed at ;

my mothers are

called things in class,

My teacher said

“sticks and stones

may break my bones

but words will

never break me”

in words.

Then say,

why did those

words break me

more than words

ever have?

when i told him about

that man who

threatened to

touch me —

“your moms are gay,

aren’t you too?”

“sticks and stones

may break my bones

but words will

never get to me”

said my best friend.

in words.

And yet, they hurt me.

these words hurt me;

these words broke me;

these words got to me.

These words brought

my neck closer to the noose.

These words brought

the blade closer to my wrist.

These words brought

the pills closer to my mouth.

the sticks and stones

may have been able

to break my bones

but the words caused

me damage far more.

-Samya Puranik, 1st Year PYEC