I'm trying something new, taking a risk this month - participating in#VerseLove with Sarah Donovan,
hoping to write poetry every day this April.
Today's challenge focuses on inner monologue. I decided to reach for my inner middle schooler, and just have fun with it. I think I may have gone way back in time, to a first crush. The bold font lines are spoken aloud by my imagined middle schooler, whereas the lines in italics represent her inner thoughts.
First Crush
Ok, here's the challenge, if the seat is open, I take it.
Oh geez, the seat next to him is OPEN!
I gotta do this.
Oh, God, I'm sitting down right next to him!
Well, that's embarrassing, he didn't even look up.
I can be cool, too. Let me just open up my notebook, act calm.
Thank you.
Oh no! I bet he thinks I dropped my pencil on purpose!
Geez, he didn't even look at me, really. Stop blushing, fool.
Sit up. Stare at the board. Look busy.
I love his hair. I love his eyes!
He's so cool.
Remember - no hands on face...Seventeen Magazine says it makes you look ugly.
Concentrate.
I'm just going to write down exactly what Mr. McPherson is writing on the board.
Oh my, I want to look at him. Nope! Don't. Keep cool.
Why oh why oh why did I sit next to him?
Why did I think this was a good idea?
I can't think.
What? No. Sorry. [whispered]
Okay, that was lame.
Now he definitely thinks I'm an idiot.
Geez. How could I possibly know the answer?!
I haven't even been paying attention!
I didn't know we were supposed to be working on that.
This is the worst.
Wait - he just wants the answer from me?
He's not even going to think about it, himself?
What?!
What a loser.
[Kole Simon, from Sarah Donovan's website] I loved this poem, I know in high school I would always get nervous when I sat next to a girl I had a crush on. The overthinking was spot on and really took me back! The lines where she is talking herself up to take an open seat next to her crush is something I think many people relate to!
ReplyDelete[Denise Krebs, from Sarah Donovan's website] Maureen, this is SO realistic for middle school. Few words and lots of over-thinking. I noticed it was true in Angie’s poem about her grandma. I wonder if it’s true about all of us. Our brains going so fast thinking a million thoughts, only a few words come out. “Why oh why oh why did I sit next to him? Why did I think this was a good idea?” That right there is something we have all said in middle school about a myriad of different ideas we’ve had.
ReplyDelete[Linda Mitchell, from Sarah Donovan's website] Oh, did that bring back memories! The littlest thing was so important back in those days. I actually felt a little nervous reading it! ha
ReplyDelete[glenda funk from Sarah Donovan's website]
ReplyDeleteMaureen,
Hahaha! “What a loser.” How many times has a girl (raising my hand) liked a dumb boy? So happy this girl came to her senses. All those competing thoughts flow beautifully, but I sure wish girls weren’t acculturated to think so much about what boys want. Yes, “Seventeen Magazine says it makes you look ugly.”
That sure brings back some memories. Well done. Thank you.
—glenda