#21 Poetry SLAM

#21 Poetry SLAM  

              As I sat in my AP language arts class, we began the chapter of poetry. A chapter I think everyone knows about and thinks is just about rhyming words “cat hat bat”. Who knew poetry complex with stanzas, lines phrases and even became harder when you had one specific topic? As she handed the worksheets to us, I began to roll my eyes in disgust … I already dreaded the class. So “here we go again” I thought in my head as I began to head my paper with the name, date and class period. I just knew this was going to be bad. She went back behind her desk to retrieve the ugliest hat I’ve ever seen, and inside were topics. “Woohoo” you get brownie point for class interaction (probably something that was discussed in the teachers meeting). I reluctantly draw and folded piece of paper from the hat, quickly unfolded the paper to discover the word “tree”. The dumbest word, at least so I thought. She showed us and example on the board and I just wanted to get done. I began playing around and jotting everything I knew or thought of when I saw a tree. “This is going to be easier than I thought” I say to myself as I begin the rough draft of “Tree” the title of my poem. It was easier than I thought. Thoughts and words began to flow and before I know It is written an entire poem over trees … and it made sense. After going home, I couldn’t get poetry off my mind, I liked it and wanted to write more. I hurried over to my backpack and took out a notebook and a pencil. Unaware of what the topic would be I looked around and the first thing in sight was my baby brother. I began writing and everything began to flow like earlier in class. Sooner than later I was writing poems in class. Long poems, short poems all sorts. The next day in AP language arts my teacher informed me that she entered my “tree” poem into the poetry contest and wanted me to perform in the upcoming poetry slam. I kindly declined the invite until fall and the poetry slam was hosted in our library. My teacher strongly encouraged that I participate. I agreed and it was probably one of the nest decisions id made as a teenager. I never had trouble speaking in front of people but, reciting a poem was difficult. I practiced and practiced, revised and edited “trees”. Until the day came and our library was packed with people. I invited my mom and dad and as I walk in in see them in the front row. “Here goes nothing “I thought to myself. I was on the itinerary as the second person to go. As the roaring applause ended, I knew it was my time to go. I took a deep breath and began to recite my poem.