Wall of shame

Wall of shame

I have been through the halls and seen this school

And believe me now far I am no fool

For those who still call stuff gay

And to the teacher who refuse to say

how it's bad and not okay

I have no sympathy for you

It's disgusting how you judge us without really having a clue

we know what you mean when you say “ ha gay”

So don't make excuses and say

“It was a joke , I didn't mean it that way”

Because we know what you think

And that insult hit us like a brick

Building a wall of shame

For those who are not the same

7

note from the poet : This poem is again a throwback to my youth and my time in an all boys school . So while it was quite a safe place there was this atmosphere of homophobia that manifested not as physical attacks but rather subtle comments and statements or even refusals by teachers to condemn these comments. While definitely I am glad of my privilege, its this kind of bullying that leads to the fear of coming out when people would say ha gay or make other jokes along that line , it would lead you to feel unsafe and unseen .So hopefully this poem can bring awareness to how language not matter how small matters . That was my intention with this poem to explore how these small insults on a personal scale all come together to build a wall of shame .