These bullying poems are written for students and the adults who teach them. They are grouped by age and point of view: the kid being picked on, the one watching, the one doing it, and the one who steps in. Each section ends with a couple of discussion questions you can use in class or at home. All of the poems are originals by Poetry Valley, so you are welcome to read them aloud in your classroom. For more poems on hard topics, see our poems about social issues.
Using these poems in class
- Read the poem aloud twice. The first time for the story, the second time for the details.
- Ask before you explain. Start with “What did you notice?” before sharing your own reading.
- Keep it about choices, not names. Remind students not to point at real classmates during the discussion.
- End with action. Ask each student to write one sentence they could say to stop bullying or support someone.
Short poems about bullying for kids (grades K–5)
Kind Hands
Some hands push and some hands shove,
some hands point and laugh.
My hands help a friend stand up
and split my lunch in half.
Some words sting like bumblebees,
some words make you small.
My words say, “Come sit with us.
There’s room here for us all.”
Original poem by Poetry Valley. Good for: reading aloud with young children.
The Buddy Bench
There’s a bench beside the swings
where someone sat alone.
I walked across the playground
like the bench was my own.
I said hello. She said hello.
We didn’t talk for long,
but now the bench was just a bench,
and no one sat alone.
Original poem by Poetry Valley. Good for: talking about including others at recess.
Telling Isn’t Tattling
If someone hurts you every day
and says, “Don’t tell, or else,”
that’s the time to tell someone,
not keep it to yourself.
Telling isn’t tattling
when someone’s feeling scared.
It’s how the grown-ups find out,
and how they show they care.
Original poem by Poetry Valley. Good for: explaining the difference between tattling and asking for help.
Talk about it:
- What can you do if you see someone sitting alone?
- Who are the grown-ups at school you could tell if something felt wrong?
Poems about bullying for middle and high school
The Long Way
Every morning the hallway is a river
and I have learned where the rocks are:
the lockers by the stairwell,
the corner where their laughter waits.
I walk the long way now.
Nobody asks why I’m late.
Here is what I want you to know:
the long way is still a way.
I am still getting there.
Original poem by Poetry Valley. Good for: discussing how bullying changes someone’s day in ways adults may not notice.
Nickname
They gave me a name in seventh grade
that wasn’t the one my mother chose.
It stuck like gum beneath a desk;
it followed me home in my clothes.
I answer now to the name she gave.
I say it slowly. I say it clear.
They had my name for a little while.
It’s mine again. I’m still here.
Original poem by Poetry Valley. Good for: talking about name-calling and identity.
What I Didn’t Say
I called you weak so no one would see
how scared I was at home.
I made the whole room laugh at you
so I wouldn’t laugh alone.
That isn’t an excuse. It’s just
the truth I owe you now:
you never were the thing I said.
I’m sorry. I’m learning how.
Original poem by Poetry Valley. Good for: exploring why people bully, and what taking responsibility looks like.
Talk about it:
- In “The Long Way,” what does the speaker do to avoid being hurt? What might an adult see instead?
- Does “What I Didn’t Say” excuse the speaker? Why or why not?
Poems about bystanders and upstanders
Bystander
I didn’t push. I didn’t shove.
I didn’t say a word.
I only stood there, looking down,
like nothing had occurred.
But silence makes a kind of noise
when someone’s being hurt.
It tells them they are on their own.
Next time, I’ll say a word.
Original poem by Poetry Valley. Good for: showing that staying quiet is also a choice.
Upstander
It doesn’t take a cape or crowd,
it doesn’t take a speech.
Sometimes it’s “Hey, come walk with me,”
or saving someone’s seat.
Sometimes it’s telling a teacher,
sometimes it’s standing near.
The bravest thing is often small:
“You’re not alone. I’m here.”
Original poem by Poetry Valley. Good for: brainstorming small, safe ways to help.
Talk about it:
- What is the difference between a bystander and an upstander?
- Which of the actions in “Upstander” would feel easiest for you to do?
Poems about cyberbullying
Screenshot
It took them one second to type it,
two to press send,
and it lived in a hundred phones
before the school day could end.
I didn’t see faces,
just hearts and laughing icons
stacked like stones.
Here is what a screen can’t show you:
the girl holding her phone,
reading it again at midnight,
believing it a little more each time.
Before you share, picture her.
Then put it down.
Original poem by Poetry Valley. Good for: discussing sharing and forwarding hurtful posts.
Left Out of the Group Chat
They made a group chat with everyone
except for me,
then sent a screenshot
so I’d know.
That’s the trick of it:
not the words, but the door
they made sure I could see was closed.
I’m building other doors now.
Art club. My cousin. The kid in chemistry
who also likes old songs.
Some rooms are worth leaving.
Some are worth finding.
Original poem by Poetry Valley. Good for: talking about exclusion online and finding your people.
Talk about it:
- How is cyberbullying different from bullying at school? How is it the same?
- What could you do if a hurtful post about someone shows up on your phone?
A poem for someone being bullied right now
For Anyone Who Needs This Today
It is not your fault.
Not the way you talk or dress,
not the lunch you bring,
not the language your parents speak at pickup.
The ones who hurt you
are telling a story about themselves.
You do not have to believe it.
Tell someone. Then tell someone again
if the first one doesn’t listen.
You are worth the trouble of being helped.
Original poem by Poetry Valley. Good for: sharing privately with a student or friend who is struggling.
Using these poems for Unity Day
October is National Bullying Prevention Month in the US, and Unity Day, led by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, falls on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. People wear orange to show support for kindness and inclusion. A few simple ideas for the day:
- Read “Upstander” or “Kind Hands” aloud at morning assembly.
- Ask students to write a four-line kindness poem. Our list of poem ideas includes prompts you can borrow.
- Post students’ poems on an orange “kindness wall” in the hallway.
If bullying is happening now
- At school: talk to a teacher, school counselor or principal. If nothing changes, contact the school district.
- Online: save screenshots, then report the post or account to the app or platform.
- More guidance: StopBullying.gov (a US government site) explains how to get help.
- In a crisis: if you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 988. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Quick answers
What is a good short poem about bullying for kids?
For young children, short rhyming poems with a clear action work best. “Kind Hands” and “The Buddy Bench” above are eight and nine lines long and end with something a child can actually do: help a friend up, or sit with someone who is alone.
How can I use bullying poems in the classroom?
Read the poem twice, ask students what they noticed, then use the discussion questions under each section. Finish by asking each student to write one sentence they could say to support someone. Keep the discussion about choices rather than real classmates.
Looking for more? Read our poems about loving yourself or browse all poems about social issues.
