Seen never heard, shivering dread
Sterile classroom, tedious curriculum
Traumatised children, birth marked needy
Cold hands reddened, overused weapon
One strike talking, two for laughing 
More if hand pulled that was shocking

White sugar sandwich, nourishment nill
Match stick bodies, enormous heads.
Clay beneath fingernails, ridiculed, mocked 
Shamed for manual work, no way to wash

Clergy visit, teacher turnaround
Meek toned monster, charity abounds
Favourites to the front, dunces to the back 
Woe betide the one who can’t answer back

No lenience dyslexia, tongue tied stammers
Autism, Aspergers, unknown conditions
Mute parents, teacher knows best
Stick to the books, put with the rest

Tormented past, suffering profound 
Expired in a hayloft, grey foreign town 
Coping skills nil, no confidence instilled
Nothing to fall back on but aggression and the pint
Another lonely migrant in cold foreign ground

By Joan Hardiman
If you’d like to read more of Joan’s poetry, her collection can be purchased here: My Serendipitous Life
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Join us in September 2024 for a series on Unravelling Shame – In this period between Lughnasadh and Samhain as we move from the light towards the darker half of the year, we invite you to join us to shine the light together into the darkness of the shame that we each carry.

We’d love it if you’d join us on this journey to unravel shame.

Contact @saoroexperience , @satnamtherapy or @michaelryan_thewayhome if you’ve questions or you’d like to get involved…