Poetry as an outlet:Toxic
Putting in to words
Esméralda Puairau from Faa'a, Tahiti, is a specialised child protection educator. She regularly has to deal with violence and the suffering it brings to families. Writing is her release. She uses her pen to express herself freely and restore hope through the written word.
Recently I realised that it was my grandfather who gave me this social conscience. Writing these stories is a way for me to liberate my own words.
We need a space where we can put into words the people we meet and the things we experience. I would love this writing to be read and shared, because lots of people read something and say to themselves “Hey, that’s my life, my situation, my husband, my child, that’s me, that’s my sister they’re talking about”. So yes, I would very much like to spread these messages. I think it’s like starting a social connection - you feel less alone as a human being. So, if they could be read, I think they would do people good, I’m sure of it, in fact!
Toxic is a word that has emerged over the past few years in our work, but it affects lots and lots of people and many young people. And I wrote these lines thinking of a young woman, who did a huge amount of harm around herself, and she hurt people because she herself had been deeply hurt.
The cycle of violence, the way it is reproduced. She hasn’t yet had a chance to see a different way of being, to absorb it and learn how to become a different person.
Esméralda Puairau from Faa'a, Tahiti, is a specialised child protection educator. She regularly has to deal with violence and the suffering it brings to families. Writing is her release. She uses her pen to express herself freely and restore hope through the written word.
Recently I realised that it was my grandfather who gave me this social conscience. Writing these stories is a way for me to liberate my own words.
We need a space where we can put into words the people we meet and the things we experience. I would love this writing to be read and shared, because lots of people read something and say to themselves “Hey, that’s my life, my situation, my husband, my child, that’s me, that’s my sister they’re talking about”. So yes, I would very much like to spread these messages. I think it’s like starting a social connection - you feel less alone as a human being. So, if they could be read, I think they would do people good, I’m sure of it, in fact!
Toxic is a word that has emerged over the past few years in our work, but it affects lots and lots of people and many young people. And I wrote these lines thinking of a young woman, who did a huge amount of harm around herself, and she hurt people because she herself had been deeply hurt.
The cycle of violence, the way it is reproduced. She hasn’t yet had a chance to see a different way of being, to absorb it and learn how to become a different person.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.