Andrea Dietrich Poet Prose

Notes About The Poem

This was a very poor excuse for free verse. How I hate trying to write decent free verse. I have withdrawn this from the childhood free verse contest and tried to replace it with something better. SIGH!

Before 13

Before Thirteen

A skinny child 
with crooked teeth and hair needing to be kept short
because of her habit of tangling it with her own hands.
A peculiar child,
thrown into a totally new environment away from her father and
living with a newly divorced mother and three younger sisters,
she spent her fifth year on her grandpa’s farm.
She entered school in that year, getting onto the bus each day
at the end of the country lane which led to her grandpa's house.
She felt abandoned away from her sisters and all alone at the school.
Not gregarious or outgoing, but dutiful and rather conscientious,
at age five she could not ever have guessed her fate.

Wondering why the popular kids talked to her
when she walked them home from school, yet on the playground,
they ignored her most of the time, the child pressed on
through her years in elementary school.

Sixth grade came, and with it came a spark!
Her teacher, Mrs Daufeldt, loved the child’s work 
and said she was creative; said the child was bright!

Seventh grade and the child’s age was 12. 
Revelation time. She saw the other girls around her, the ordinary ones
like her, no superstars among them; she gathered them to her.
Her test scores soared and teachers, not just Mrs. Daufeldt, praised her!
Witty she became, and she was blossoming into a woman.
Before she reached 13, the child had found her way.

Nov 28, 2018

♡Like0

Share Poem

---

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Robert Johnson November 30, 2018 at 5:18 PM It is true, that when we get outside of ourselves and reach out and interact with others. We are some how shown a reflection of ourselves. It's the old adage, in giving, we receive. Assuming this is your story, nice you could discover this at an age beyond what most ever do. :)

Tom Cunningham November 28, 2018 at 8:53 PM Lovely story Andrea, one of soups most talented poets. Regards. Tom.

Vijay Pandit November 28, 2018 at 6:38 PM Awesome bio Andrea..children learn in special ways unique to them...perhaps this is portrait of not just you..but many like you. You wrote about them all.

Rhona Mcferran November 28, 2018 at 6:24 PM Beautiful work, Andrea! ;) Love the way you told your story here- and the ending is lovely! I sure wish I'd "found my way" that early in life!! (I think 'before thirty' would be a more fitting description for me! hahaha)

Jan Allison November 28, 2018 at 4:57 PM I guess it was a bio poem and Oh my how you have flourished Andrea and its wonderful how you were teacher recognised your spark and you grew with her encouragement:-) hugs jan xx

Chris Green November 28, 2018 at 4:36 PM This was a fun little story to read that gave me a good feeling inside when I finished it. Really nice Andrea. Chris Green November 29, 2018 at 7:28 AM I kind of thought it was but I didn't want to say and be wrong and look dumb. :) Andrea Dietrich November 28, 2018 at 4:39 PM thanks, Chris. Did you guess it was my story?