In the classroom, hushed and still,
A girl, unknowing of what\'s to unveil,
A moment\'s privacy, captured in scorn,
A secret shared, her dignity torn.
Across the screen, a witness I stood,
A moment frozen, misunderstood,
My heart ached with empathy\'s embrace,
A shared secret, the shame in her face.
A glance, a whisper, a fleeting desire,
Snared in a net of cruel, viral fire,
Her face flushed with horror and regret,
Her life exposed on the internet.
I wish I could reach through the screen\'s cold pane,
Whisper comfort, and take away the pain,
But all I could do was close the device,
Wishing her strength in this unwanted strife.
In an age of screens and heartless disdain,
Her story\'s a lesson in empathy\'s flame,
For we all have secrets, moments unseen,
Let\'s hold our judgment, and let others be.
For her story is now a tale from the past,
A video vanished, a shadow not cast,
Yet the lesson lingers in my mind so clear,
In our shared humanity, let\'s hold what\'s dear.
© Susie Stiles-Wolf