Health and Safety for Students

When I was a child 'Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me!' was drilled into us as a mantra from an early age. Today's parents seem to have forgotten to teach their children even this simple resilience so that they grow up afraid of words as well as sticks and stones.

Meantime the Green Cross Code is no longer taught and teens are allowed to leave the house in outfits I would never have been allowed to leave the house in (often glued to ear buds so they cannot hear any risks approaching them as they walk or cycle along) so where is safety consideration when it comes to the physical side of young lives?

Inflammatory Words

 Students need safe spaces 

 Non-platform places 

 For anxiety abounds 

 If there’s no topic out of bounds 

Challenge is aggression 

And you don’t want confrontation 

When you have half-formed views 

Gleaned from Buzzfeed news 

Let’s not mention the secret lunchtime trolling 

When not virtue signal extolling 

Brexit is bad but other pro-choice is good 

And you are the most puritan in vegan food 

Demand uncontroversial debate that doesn’t over-excite 

And chimes with the views which get facebook likes 

We can all agree that kittens are cute, right? 

But rigorous debate, that’s the stuff of hate! 

Granted, you have all the answers 

 But why take chances? 

What do you mean hysteria, hypocrisy? 

Of course you stand for free speech and democracy 

As long as they cancel that speaker, the one who won’t pre-submit his speech 

So you can vet for free speech offence breach 

Fascist? Shut the front door! Racist! 

 ©LS King 2017

Stop, Don't Jump!

I have been on a number of suicide prevention courses during my university career, in case I should ever come across a student in distress. Meanwhile national suicide levels continue to rise, particularly among the young, I suspect, as the act becomes more socially acceptable as a means to solve one's problems - an unintended consequence of the push for assisted suicide for the chronically ill - though no suicide charity has dared to speak up so far.  Which prompted the following thoughts on whether a more unconventional approach might be called for if I were to come upon a youngster on the brink.

Stop, Don’t Jump!

Stop, don’t jump!

I’ll have that dewy complexion, those bright eyes, that salon hair, if you don’t want them

I’ll have those admiring male looks, those limitless job opportunities, that chance to start over.

I’m a great believer in recycling unwanted pert breasts and precision perfect teeth

I could do with a new pituitary gland, a new pair of ears, 20/20 vision,

And knees that don’t creak

Which look wow in mini skirts

Your restless energy and raging hormones will be put to good use by me.

It’s true what they say that youth is wasted on the young

You just drink, smoke and fritter it away

Or at the first obstacle, call life a day.

But who asked you to cure cancer?

Just don’t be an a**ehole and look when you cross the road.

That’ll do for starters.

Maybe a random act of kindness here and there?

If you can tear yourself away from your smartphone long enough.

But if you can’t manage life’s basics, hand your meat suit to me

Let me try on that all over tan for size.

I’m sure it’ll fit.

I’ll pout for the rest of your selfies

Send your friends updates so they’ll never know

And you do carry a donor card, right?

What, you’ve decided not to jump after all?

Bugger!

©LS King 2017