Sticks and Stones
Today's Axis of Ineptitude's prompt was "Sticks and Stones".
Sticks and Stones may break my bones,But words will never hurt me.
I said that many a time and it didn't become any more true with each reciting.And boy, have I had words hurt me. When I was young, I had a birthmark on my nose. Here's what I looked like:See that red dot? Well, it stimulated a lot of unpleasant commentary. The worst was "hickey nose". I wrote about more in a previous piece. Many a night I cried over that one. When I was 13, I had that birthmark removed but there have been plenty more painful words.I've been "skinny" and "no-butt". Now lest you start playing a very small violin, let me explain. As a teen, I weighed under 90 pounds naturally and people would come up to me and ask me why I didn't eat (which I did). People felt allowed to call me "anorexic" or "bulimic" to my face. Now that hurts. Slender and healthy are compliments. Anorexic is not. Tears fell on that, as well.As a woman, I have been called the gamut -- mostly by boys. I won't list them here because I bet you know them. Spurned boys can be really mean.From my children, I have heard a few not-so-fun monikers including "bad mom" and "mean". It goes with the job but it still hurts.There you go, my bones might not be broken but I have been hurt. What sticks and stones or words have been thrown at you? Come share them with us...