The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I just received this comment on a blog I released a little over a year ago, entitled, "How Music Saved My Life": - "Your story is heartbreaking, honest and will be healing to others who have a similar story. Thank you for sharing your healing through music. What an incredible journey to where you are today. 💗" The piece can be found and read at this link: https://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2021/01/how-music-saved-my-life.html

Innocence Lost Trusting of your protection, Trusting of your care, There to look after me, When my parents are away, There to make sure I’m safe, Make sure I eat, Make sure I do my homework, Make sure I sleep, My friend, My guardian, My neighbor, My babysitter, Silence then fills the room, A bitter cold enters, Darkness rapidly pervades, About to lose my innocence, Your voice is raised, More violent in action, Instructions are given, Feeling queasy and frightened, A knife against my throat, As I begin to tremble, Told to never tell a soul, Or my life would cease to be, Forever feeling guilty, For not fighting back, Thinking I could have done more, To have prevented the attack, Years have passed me by, Yet the memory still lingers, Wanting so desperately to go back, And see how life could’ve been different.

I was informed just last night that a dear old friend of mine was abused by her then-boyfriend. This wasn't the first such occasion for this. Unfortunately, she accepted his apology after the first time he resorted to violence against her. I sincerely hope with all my being that she doesn't open the door for him again. Unfortunately, I myself, have been a victim of abuse, when I was an 8-year old boy, an older man took advantage of me. I've known other people whom have been victims of one kind of abuse or another, whether it be physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, mental or psychological. No matter what I think of the person or how disgraceful I believe his or her actions are, I try to place myself inside their shoes (not literally, of course) and attempt to garner a better understanding of why they think and act as they do. The same holds true for abusers. Having been a victim of it myself, which has had its effects, even 22 years after the fact, this is difficult for ...

Have you ever seen a film or read a book that was so similar to a previous life event, that it felt real? Ever felt that those events were actually taking place in that film or book? That you were the main character in the story? I, unfortunately, had this experience just last night, while watching the film "Mysterious Skin." Because this film was independent and therefore, did not receive much publicity, I will give a brief summary of the story. It revolves around two 8-year old boys, who are teammates on a Little League team. Neither kid has much of a father figure. The head coach sees that and takes full advantage of the situation and the boys. He sexually abuses them on multiple occasions and their lives are never the same because of it. One boy, Neil, who has already noticed his attraction towards the same gender before the incidents, goes on to be an 18-year old male prostitute. His feelings and emotions are numbed and sex becomes nothing but a business to him. The ot...