POEMORAMA AT PAPER POETRY
First Speech
A senryu inspired by my husband and son
Paper shields my face.
Forty-two eyes wait for me
to talk about sharks.
Two experiences inspired this poem. One filled me with joy, the other with anger.
Joy
My son delivered his first speech last year. He studied sharks and shared interesting facts about them with his 2nd grade class.
He refused to do it the first time. He told the teacher he was too scared. His dad and I talked to him about it. We validated his fear and told him that EVERYONE gets nervous to speak in front of a group of people.
We shared a couple of our experiences and told him the best hack was preparation. First, practice by yourself. Next, deliver the speech in front of people you trust. Finally, do the real thing.
And he did it. We beamed with pride and celebrated his courage with some chocolate kisses (real ones too).
Anger
This weekend, my husband shared a heartbreaking story with me about his childhood. In 6th grade, he read aloud a story he wrote about magical stones.
