[Susan McLean]

https://newversenews.blogspot.com/20...d-version.html

Susan

[Jim Moonan]

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Many thanks for this, Susan.

Great poem, Julie.

(I can only speak for myself, though I use the collective we) Sometimes — most times — we dig no further than what we discover in the first handful of dirt, which only provides a tip-of-the-iceberg awareness of the scope and gravity of the crime of sexual abuse against children. Digging deeper requires that we get down on our hands and knees and claw at the ground until the sordid evil that lies buried is exposed and we feel the enormity of the pain and trauma that lies in the dirt of time. It is abhorrent. Your poem bristles with pain.

Thank you for including the group of links to recent news stories on sexual abuse of children by adults. It gave my imagination an uncomfortable nudge to realize that this represents just one small, dark corner of the sexual abuse children suffer at the hands of adults worldwide. And throughout human history.

Personally, I grew up with only positive experiences in Catholic schools through the tenth grade, when my high school closed its doors. I didn’t know of any instances of sexual abuse by clergy or anyone in a position of power over me. The sad thing is, it was no doubt happening in stealth ways. I think a redoubling of our efforts to resolve to provide effective education on the potential dangers that lurk in school, at home, and in every organization that is responsible for providing a positive learning experience (sports, drama/theatre, etc.). Adults in positions of power over children need a clarion call to protect children from the horrors of physical, psychological and sexual abuse.

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[Michael Cantor]

Wow!!! Wonderful poem, Julie.

[Julie Steiner]

Thanks, Susan, Jim, and Michael. As Palm Sunday approached, there were so many recent news stories in a row, underscoring the ubiquity of childhood sexual abuse, that I thought I should give this topic another try.

Looking though the comments on Charles Spencer's announcement showed quite a few along the lines of "Everyone had something rotten happen to them in childhood, why can't these whiners just get over it and keep all this old unpleasantness to themselves, instead of making a public ruckus about it decades too late?"

Some of these critics said that they had been victims themselves, and if keeping it buried is how they've made peace with their own pasts, I'm happy for them. But they should recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this sort of trauma, and that what worked for them might not work for someone else.

And if the general public can be troubled to spend a little more time thinking about "this unpleasantness", perhaps victims will feel less stigmatized, and might receive more helpful help from other adults in their lives if and when they work up the courage to ask for it.

(That said, I remember all the false accusations of the "Satanic Panic" period of the 1980s and 1990s, so I don't think every child's accusations should be believed. But every child's accusations should at least be investigated, not automatically dismissed as slander against someone whom other adults want to believe is too good a person to do something like that.)

[Martin Elster]

A great poem, Julie!

Best wishes,
Martin

[RCL]

Fantastic!

[Alexandra Baez]

That's a great conceit and such a powerful way to carry the message, Julie. Congratulations!