China's Story

China was fourteen, she gave what she got
She had many friends, who loved her a lot.
She loved them back, too, and would always be there,
But at prettier girls, she could not help but stare.

You must understand, that this group with a sight,
With their Cover Girl masks, and their shirts way too tight.
The guys hung around them, as though in a trance,
They were always the first ones who were asked to dance.

They seems so secure, knowing just what to say.
And they said what they said in the coolest of ways
They never were seen without smiles on their faces.
Their clothes were real tight in all the right places.

You can see what I mean, when I say they were cool.
They were by far the sexiest girls in the school.

So China dreamed on, by day and by night,
Wishing her shirts would fit her as tight.
She wondered that contest she would have to win.
For, she'd give up the world, and her life to fit in.

She kept it a secret, hoping nobody knew,
But her friends caught on fast, and they found it was true.
They tried to warn her of their pretentious way.
But China grew more and more stubborn each day.

As cool as they were, and as hot as their show,
They struggled in school and their grades were quite low.
The groups of girls smoked, and were known to drink beer,
But this was not stuff China wanted to hear.

So China tried hard to fit in with the clique,
She giggled at jokes that she knew were just sick.
She gave her attention to these cool girls alone,
She dressed just like them, in a style not her own.

China's old friends feared her drifting away,
They were losing her slowly, and didn't know what to say.
They told China the truth, that the group was all fake,
But their words of advice, China just wouldn't take.

Why aren't you happy for me? China thought,
I don't act like myself, but now look where I've got.
She thought her old friends were jealous and tart,
She was truthfully happy, deep down in her heart.

China laughed at her old friends, along with her new,
They made fun of so many and smiled at so few.
China's new friends were cool, she was in with the clan,
She was treated like they were, she was happy again.

China's old group of friends sadly melted away,
They left China alone, but watched close every day.
They longed for her friendship, the warmth of her smile.
And hoped she'd miss them, and come back in a while.

But the jokes kept on coming, so the groups with a sigh,
Turned their backs on harsh China, and walked silently by.
The pain was too deep and the torture too hard,
Her old friend's poor hearts had been torn out and scarred.

As all this did happen, the cool did their thing,
They giggled and gossiped and made actions sting.
They mutated China, the best that they could,
And taught her to be like a glamour girl should.

China went to parties, she got into fights,
She became really cool, but during the night,
She tried to discover just what was the scoop,
Why she wasn't content in her newly found group.

Then one day it hit her, came into her head,
That the answer was one that she truly did dread.
She had run ahead quickly and back round the beds,
She had left her companions, she had ditched her true friends.

China realized her error, "This group's not a sight,
With their makeup done perfect and hair fixed just right.
That's not what they look like, it's a lie what you see,
It's the Maybelline models they wish they could be."

Then early one night, around seven o'clock,
A girl opened her door to the sound of a knock.
Out in the cold, standing there in the rain,
Stood teary-eyed China, her old self again.

Neither one spoke, as she ushered her in,
The girl knew from experience, where China had been.
She had also once felt that those girls were the best,
But those long-ago thoughts, she had put down to rest.

The girls sat up talking for a good length of time,
China knew in her heart that she would be just fine.
She couldn't believe just how much she'd been blessed,
That her loving dear friends would forgive her like this.

This tale ends happy, but not all stories will,
Some friends aren't so forgiving, they go in for the kill.
China was lucky, but you may not be,
So choose your friends wisely, and help others see.

The moral is not to have one group of friends,
From a particular table, with particular trends.
It's to teach of the trust, that those girls tried to hide,
You will always be cool if it comes from inside.

--Libby Barnes

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Children's Eyes

What kind of world is it my friend
that little children see?
I wonder if they see God first
because they just believe?

Do they see strength in caring eyes
who watch them as they play-
or maybe love through gentle hands
that guide them on their way?

Do you think they dream of future times
when they would be a king-
or just enjoy their present life
while with their friends they sing?

Do they see the acts of kindness
done for people who are poor?
Is the very best in everyone
what they are looking for?

And when the day is over,
as they close their eyes to sleep,
do they look forward to tomorrow
with its promises to keep?

If this is what the children see,
then it should be no surprise,
the world would be a better place
if we all had children's eyes.

--Tom Krause

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Making Sarah Cry

He Stood among his friends from school,
He joined their childhood games
Laughing as they played kickball
And when they called poor Sarah names.
Sarah was unlike the rest;
She was slow and not as smart,
And it would seem to all his friends
She was born without a heart.
And so he gladly joined their fun
Of making Sarah cry.
But somewhere deep within his heart,
He never knew just why.
For he could hear his mother's voice,
Her lessons of right and wrong
Playing over and over inside his head
Just like a favorite song.
"Treat others with respect, son,
The way you'd want them treating you.
And remember, when you hurt others,
Someday, someone might hurt you."
He knew his mother wouldn't understand
The purpose of their game
Of teasing Sarah, who made them laugh
As her own tears fell like rain.
The funny faces that she made
And the way she'd stomp her feet
Whenever they mocked the way she walked
Or the stutter when she'd speak.
To his she must deserve it
Because she never tried to hide.
And if she truly wanted to be left alone,
Then she should stay inside.
But every day she'd do the same:
She'd come outside to play,
And stand there, tears upon her face,
Too upset to run away.
The game would soon be over
As tears dropped from her eyes,
For the purpose of their fun
Was making Sarah cry.
It was nearly two whole months
He hadn't seen his friends.
He was certain they all must wonder
What happened and where he'd been
So he felt a little nervous
As he limped his way to class.
He hoped no one would notice,
He prayed no one would ask
About that awful day:
The day his bike met with a car,
Leaving him with a dreadful limp
And a jagged-looking scar.
So he held his breath a little
As he hobbled into the room,
Where inside the saw a "Welcome Back" banner
and lots of red balloons.
He felt a smile cross his face
As his friends all smiled, too
And he couldn't wait to play outside-
His favorite thing to do.
So the second that he stepped outdoors
And saw his friends all waiting there,
He expected a few pats on the back-
Instead, they all stood back and stared.
He felt his face grow hotter
As he limped to join their side
To play a game of kickball
And of making Sarah cry.
An awkward smile crossed his face
When he heard somebody laugh
And heard the words, "He freak,
Where'd you get the ugly mask?"
He turned, expecting Sarah,
But Sarah could not be seen.
It was the scar upon his own face
That caused such words so mean.
He joined in their growing laughter,
Trying hard to not give in
To the awful urge inside to cry
Or the quivering of his chin.
They are only teasing,
He made himself believe.
They are still my friends;
They'd never think of hurting me.
But the cruel remarks continued
About the scar and then his limp.
And he knew if he shed a single tear
They'd label him a wimp.
And so the hurtful words went on,
And in his heart he wondered why.
But he knew without a doubt
The game would never end, until they made him cry.
And just when a tear had formed,
He heard a voice speak out from behind.
"Leave him alone you bullies,
Because he's a friend of mine."
He turned to see poor Sarah,
Determination on her face,
Sticking up for one of her own tormentors
And willing to take his place.
And when his friends did just that,
Trying their best to make poor Sarah cry,
This time he didn't join in,
And at last understood exactly why.
"Treat others with respect, son,
The way you'd want them treating you.
And remember, when you hurt others,
Someday, someone might hurt you."
It took a lot of courage
But he knew he must be strong,
For at last he saw the difference
Between what's right and wrong.
And Sarah didn't seem so weird
Through his understanding eyes.
Now he knew he'd never play again
The game of making Sarah cry.
It took several days of teasing
And razzing from his friends,
But when they saw his strength,
They chose to be like him.
And now out on the playground,
A group of kids meets every day
For a game of kickball and laughter
And teaching their new friend, Sarah, how to play.

--Cheryl L. Costello-Forshey

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Myself

I have to live with myself, and so
I want to be fit for myself to know
I want to be able as days go by
Always to look myself straight in the eye;
I don't want to stand, with the setting sun,
And hate myself for things I have done.
I don't want to keep on a closet shelf
A lot of secrets about myself,
And fool myself, as I come and go,
Into thinking that nobody else will know
The kind of man I really am;
I don't want to dress myself up in sham.
I want to go out with my head erect,
I want to deserve all man's respect;
And here in the struggle for fame and wealth,
I want to be able to like myself.
I don't want to look at myself and know
That I am a bluffer, an empty show.
I can never hide myself from me:
I see what others may never see,
I know what others may never know;
I never can fool myself, and so,
Whatever happens, I want to be
Self-respecting and guilt free.

--Peer Counsellor Workbook

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