How easy it is, to build someone up
How much easier, to break them down;
A random heartfelt smile to thrill…
To destroy, an ill conceived frown.
These choices are made by us; and yet
Their aftermath is all that we spot -
We wonder at visible bruises in the end;
We never sense the ongoing inner rot.

Sly sneers, when shared behind a back
Rupture the fragile heart inside;
One person’s callous rejection
Can crush someone’s self-worth and pride;
A harsh rebuke can split the poise
Painstakingly rebuilt just then;
A cruel joke will shatter the soul
That’s been battered once too often…

It’s only the effects that we see,
Willfully blind to the process –
We see the bowed back, the haunted eyes,
We miss the reason behind the distress.
One day the back will break past repair,
One day the eyes will forever close.
A life will be lost, past return –
The bud will never be a rose.

We will be shocked, sad and disturbed,
We will pity, (we aren’t heartless!)
We’ll curb laughs for some days,
And then get on with our lives –
But we will never acknowledge
The real reason behind it:
We, who are so often mean,
Without ever meaning it…

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