Member-only story
She Believed In Me
The power a caring teacher can have to change your life forever
It’s been a week since my friend Brent died too soon from cancer.
Moments like this force one to pause. What have I done with my life? What could I do with the time I have left?
Today I decided to think backwards.
The mandatory literary contest
When I was in high school, every student had to either write 2 poems or a short story to enter into the annual Fine Arts Festival.
It’s a great idea, really.
I wrote short stories the first few years. The problem was, they sucked. They sucked because I had no idea how to structure a story that was worth reading. Most of the writing I had done up to that time was the kind that arises from teenage angst.
Then I got the bright idea to write a couple of poems instead.
I sat down for 15 minutes and played with some words. I don’t remember today what I wrote. But I did know that the words needed to sound like music. So I got out my pen and went to work.
I turned in my two poems figuring I had nothing to lose.
I won 3rd place in the school.
