Reminiscent of

Russell Anderson 1962 (San Bernardino)



If you cut me
Do I not bleed?
For your sympathy
Must I plead?
Such was the refrain
of a 12-year-old
After abuses, untold
Perpetrated by his classmates
Just Tom-foolery
Not hate
A teacher was told
Boys received a stern "scold"
But, a pattern would unfold
Their behavior uncontrolled
And so was the pain
Of a 12-year-old
After abuses, untold

He hated the gym
The worst place
For picking on him
Such was the refrain
Of a 12-year-old
After abuses, untold
Knocked down
From the monkey-bars
They've taken it too far
The principal must be told
The boy consoled
But they became more bold
The boy was "trolled"
Increasing the shame
Of a 12-year-old
After abuses, untold

Reminiscent of "Jeremy"
No longer would he plead
A new game
For a 13-year-old
After abuses, untold
Borrowing from their playbook
Brutal beatings he undertook
Empathy he would withhold
As sinews tighten
And muscles grow
Incarceration, release
Blow after blow
A back-alley hero
This is the story of a guy I know
And his abuses, untold

About this poem

After reading The Raven, again, I wanted to use the ABCBBB rhyme pattern. Wanted to see if it was a secret to Poe's success. Well, no, his talent was the secret. But still, I like this pattern. I wrote this thinking about a kid (Roger) that I picked on in 6th grade. One time, I pushed him down from the uneven parralel bars and he was hurt. I was such a Tool. I felt horrible. Luckily, I grew out of that behavior. But, you never know the long term effect of crap like that. I always wondered if Roger grew up to be a badass. .. 

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Written on October 08, 2022

Submitted by rnadc on October 08, 2022

Modified by rnadc on October 08, 2022

54 sec read
14

Quick analysis:

Scheme ababCDDxaxddddcDD exeCDDxxxdddbfDD abfdDggdxhxhhhd
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 997
Words 179
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 17, 16, 15

Russell Anderson

Russell Anderson-raised in a small, remote, California town. He is now living out his later years in small-town Oregon. Still gets "Verklempt" by a good, sad song, poem, or testimonial. more…

All Russell Anderson poems | Russell Anderson Books

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    "Reminiscent of" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/138923/reminiscent-of>.

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