RESPECT, By Will S. Bunin

Special thanks to Will S. Bunin for allowing PACER to post this poem. When asked about his inspiration, Will shared the following: This poem is stating that even if your bullied you can stand up to the bully, and never be bullied again. What inspired me to write this poem? I could say that it was the kind gesture of watching someone help another being bullied. I could say that it was me who saved another. I could even say that it was me who was saved by another, but all these things that I could say would be lies. They would be simple hopes that are not true. When I was younger, I was bullied. I was bullied for being weird, incompetent, and just plain different. I acted how I wanted to, and paid the price for it. This continued until I finally had enough of it, and stood up for myself. I wish I was able to say that someone stood up to the bully and helped me out, but this is not the case. RESPECT Will S. Bunin You don’t know me So don’t judge what you can't see Don’t smudge me out Don’t begrudge my Intel Just don’t hold a grudge Against my style Of all black Or hate the idea of a keychain on the front of my back Don't belittle what's different About this kid Don’t whittle my soul Down to its core Because that’s what bullies are for That’s what you 're doing to my life So don’t just stab me in the back With a rugged old knife This is not some surgery So stop being the jury And stop your misery Stop your condescending low heartedness You gruesome crow You might make fun of me Or ask me to calm down, But no! I'm not going to calm down for one second I'm going to simply stand Tall and fight I'm going to stand tall and fight you And your mean ugly hand Your cold moribund fingers that tremble Your dastardly deeds that correspond to evil You and your outright impurity, your cold, sickly, disorienting, repulsiveness That fills all with hatred hotter than bloods thick core I'm going to fight you because I can Because someone as ghostly as you Someone who causes as much hate as you Someone who is as unjust and relentlessly cold as you Needs to be stopped Who am I you ask I am simply him I am the one you bully I am the one you torment I am the one who needs help, But does not get it I am the one who looks toward a new horizon A new place of freedom I am me It's just that simple am the one who has had enough of your bad behavior I am the one who is standing up to people like you I am the one who WILL win against your soaring ways, Your bitter travesties. I am the one who shows respect to those who show me the same courtesy You want respect, don’t you? All people do If you want respect so much, then show me the same behavior If you want respect so much, then show him the same behavior If you want respect so much, then show everyone that you deserve it Don’t judge someone because they're weird Don’t judge someone cause they're annoying Don’t judge some because they're different Just don’t judge RESPECT.