A badmouths B and C gets mad,

A is held accountable for everything A did

Not just today but of all the days before,

Of the mistakes and crimes of a person once was.

Mistakes you’ve learnt from and wounds you’ve healed,

You wouldn’t recognize your past self if you met them.

Who we are today is not a reflection of us yesterday.

It’s our past that makes us who we are,

That make us tick and make us dream.

We are but a collection of all our experiences,

Of all the people we’ve met and the things we’ve seen.

A person who gossips will gossip again,

A person who helped yesterday will help you again.

You don’t wipe your slate clean every single day,

You wake up from your bed expecting no different.

Who we are today is not a reflection of us yesterday.

If we want A to learn and grow, says D,

Shouldn’t we give A the chance to act differently?

But what if A doesn’t learn and is let off easy?

Should B suffer for A to learn?, says C.

I agree with both C and D, B says empathetically.

Yet we are both yesterday and tomorrow combined.

Who we are today is not a reflection of us yesterday.

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Note: ‘The Bop’ form includes three stanzas: Stanza 1: 6 lines, stating the problem; Stanza 2: 8 lines, exploring the problem; Stanza 3: Success and failure of resolution is recorded. A refrain is used after every stanza.

Another Note: The poem is on cancel culture.