What to do?

This poem was shared by Patrick, a reader in Rhode Island.  Words can hurt.

What to do on a day like this?
What to do when you hear the whispers?
Hear your name buzz uncomfortably through the halls
Do you listen ?
Or do you choose to ignore the lies and rumors that slowly dishevel ones esteem?
We are fragile people
Though some may come across jagged and hard
Those are the ones that are shattered and empty
Those words that we try to deflect sink deep into our bodies like a wound that has scarred.
Each scar we obtain leaves a reminder of a fault or flaw.