Contest : Simple poetry
Sponsor: Sotto Poet
Theme chosen; Memory
Written: 090326
It was a class about public speaking.
I stood at the podium and froze,
Completely FORGETTING what to say.
That's a MEMORY I wish I could FORGET.
I was not more than twelve years old when
A mean man viciously shot and killed my dog.
It's a MEMORY that I wish I could FORGET.
Loved ones and friends are gifts from God.
Some things were made for MEMORIES.
I will never FORGET such blessed gifts.
On the sports side of things, MEMORY is
A very pleasing commodity to have. When
I was 13, I scored 4 points in a basket ball
Game that turned our team around. We
Then won that game. A game that I will
Never FORGET.
Surely the ability to recall is a gift from God.
'FORGETTING' is sometimes a blessing also.
Even God made a promise of FORGETTING.
He promised to forgive and FORGET our sins.
This, without a doubt, I will never FORGET.
Sam Adams
Was born prematurely
Spent his first moments
In an incubator
Born with bad hearing
Bad vision
Bad teeth
And a speech impediment
And a learning disability
But he learned to cope
As he was a genius
Reading college level
In the second grade
When he was in high school
To overcome his fear
Of public speaking
He joined the debate team
His specialty was impromptu speaking
He found that he excelled
At making speeches on the fly
Overcoming his fears
Of public speaking along the way.
That is how Sam Adams
Learned to speak in public
Becoming a good speaker
In the end.
Based on a true story
The acting lark
Since I was not going to be a George Ramsay of cooking
I decided to become an actor, paid my money and went
to the relevant studio, which situated in an old building
in Liverpool.
Up a rickety floor that had a lift conductor for a reason
that escaped me since he stood the and I had to press
the button for the third floor.
The hallway into the centre of learning was lined with
former actors I didn´t know.
The lessons began.
My teacher was a beautiful woman with a magnificent voice
she taught me to speak clearer, louder and confidently.
When the theatre in Chester needed an actor in minor, I applied
but was turned down.
I didn´t mind as I had lost interest in this artform pretending
to be someone else.
My next step was to learn public speaking, this I failed since
there were more than five people in the room, and I fainted.
By George P. Lumayag
The unconscious speaks against facts,
But the conscious mind reasons out that ICT can guide him.
MS Word reminds him of his misspelled words,
Highlighted by Red wavy underline;
It reminds him of his choppy words,
Highlighted by Green wavy underline.
It also reminds him of his wrong structured phrases,
Highlighted by Blue wavy underline.
Grammarly.com recommends him the suitable words,
Highlighted by a command prompt.
Turnitin reminds him the copied phrases or sentences,
Highlighted by Red-Fill-in color to be paraphrased.
Youtube teaches the blind man to improve his English accent.
And it guides him to improve his speech in public speaking.
But such software or application could not remind him
On his unconscious impromptu speech.
Want a job that includes oodles of math?
No math, despise math. Math Phooey!
No public speaking, I'd rather not be noticed.
Or running for office, wanting lots of votes?
Monday through Fridays only please.
Or I'll work nights only so I can sleep late
Working only on Wednesdays is usually not an option.
Work alone?
Work with a partner?
Work as a team?
She'll be the boss, he'll woo the boss, we'll hide from the boss.
Make my own hours, please.
Or I'll work any schedule you say as long as I can have coffee.
I want a frantic, frenzied, busy day because it goes faster.
A slower pace for me, if you please. I want to nap if the truth be told.
Work with computers?
No computer work!
Minimal computer work
Figuring out your dream job is clearly a difficult assignment.
Do you have a fear of public speaking?
Perhaps you should engage yourself with a little karaoke singing.
Afterwards, if you can look at yourself and laugh,
public speaking should become a less challenging task.
Emotionally,
a wordsmith, caregiver, plant tender, embroiderer;
enjoy studying esoteric astrology, being in nature and dancing,
daydream of owning land, living remotely, publishing.
Sadness lives in me over global greed, power thirst, cruelty,
I fear Burger King's king, public speaking, being alone when old;
wish I could promote self-love, peace and forgiveness for all,
resident of the human condition as God's child.
Intuitive ....
Absent
By: Tom Wright
9-11-2019
Having never been gifted,
with a lodestar.
Public speaking,
isn’t listed in my repertoire.
So I often stammer,
while feeling red faced.
Pursuing opportunity,
to exit, post-haste.
‘Twas supposed to be just a one shot deal.
Share my tribute poem, and away I’d steal.
But two dozen disparate folk,
Quietly attended the words of not one but two poems I spoke.
Unaccustomed to public speaking,
I felt safe revealing my feelings in their care taking.
Their eyes reacted to my verbal images,
Affirming heads nodded at phrases placed to advantage.
Then they charmed me with their emotions and imagination,
Tossing their poems’ honest words and phrases with abandon.
A rare safe haven for an extraordinary everyday population,
Whose courage rises to the needs of a poetic avocation.
They’ve already had a good effect on me,
For another poem from my mind is suddenly set free!
M. Renee Taylor
2-22-13
Sojourner
Abolitionist. Slave. Women's Rights Activist. Mother.
Daughter of James and Elizabeth Baumfree. Wife of "Thomas", a slave
Lover of her five children, freedom, humanity, public speaking
Who feels passion, anger, and love for all people
Who fears injustice and the continuation of slavery
Who would love to see the emancipation of enslaved people
Who would love to see the end of slavery and inequality of human rights
Resident of Swartekill, New York, United States
Truth
Date written and posted: 03/12/2019
Doctor Martin Luther King Junior
a black man from Atlanta, Georgia.
An activist and visionary
he spoke against racial injustice.
This Nobel Prize-winning man of peace
preached tolerance and non-violence.
Challenging bigotries and hatred
he marched against discrimination.
He struck a match against ignorance,
lighting liberty's torch for freedom.
And boldly opposed segregation,
standing up to white America.
His public-speaking abilities
both enraged his foes and won him friends.
And government bigots denounced him
as a dangerous agitator.
A pacifist, he shared his dream of
whites and blacks united in friendship.
Unshackled from the past, free at last,
"thank The Lord All Mighty, free at last."
His light refused to be extinguished
when James Earl Ray shot him in Memphis.
And now his life is celebrated
each year, on Martin Luther King day.
(Blank Verse)
11/14/2017
Public Speaking
Public speaking made me nervous when I was in school
Getting up in front of class, I always lost my cool
I memorized my speeches and really knew them well
But between my brain and lips, things just didn’t jell
Here are a few examples with embarrassing details
“Saving whales,” I meant to say instead of “waving sails”
And when one wants to talk about “battle ships and cruisers”
His audience will likely laugh at “cattle ships and bruisers”
It shouldn’t be as hard as jumping a high hurdle
To say “hypodermic needle” not “hypodemic nurdle”
And certainly one understands that a “well-oiled bicycle”
Will last a whole lot longer than a “well-boiled icicle”
During school it seemed likely I’d been “wasting two terms”
Still, a whole lot better that “tasting two worms”
So compared to public speaking, writing is the “fun part”
More dignified that expounding on the latest “pun fart”
I spoke into the microphone, as tears interrupted my speech
The dread of public speaking, overcame me, like hearing a screech
Then I sort of rambled on, probably too fast for others to understand
In the background, the lake waves rolled in and lapped the land
The waves were easier to listen to, than my own words in the air
All the people in front of me standing in time, looking at me here
It is nice to be heard with significant things, but this is not my way
I’d rather have a pen in hand to be writing all that I have to say
Although, even with a speech with words stumbling and a few tears
It is to be remembered and was not nearly as bad as I feared
For all went well, as the weather delivered a perfect sunny day
Blue skies, slight breeze, lake filled with fun, all clouds drifting away
A cleansing, a commitment, verified in a speech to last forever more
As the smiles spread across faces and the lake waves lapped the shore
Heidi Sands
7/30/17
Shawn Barlow was terrified of public speaking
just the very thought set everything to leaking.
A friend suggested Pampers
to reduce the dampers.
But alas Shawn is now odorantly reeking.
Dear Jonathan you seem more refined than most
Were you appointed spokesperson to fill a post
I'm the Canadian equivalent
I'm really quite magnifient
When it comes to public speaking I can't help but boast
Well don't be shy you should blow your own trumpet
Need to show these guys we ain't just some puppets
Got savy galore
Taking over the floor
To the applause of many causing smiles by the bucket
Now don't get me wrong John, I'm straight as an arrow
It's my humble attempt to prove I'm really not shallow
My breath is strong
As I lead them in song
And they keep throwing me money by the barrel
So John, this is not one of those “Dear John” letters
Trust me, this little limerick is a whole lot better
To acknowledge your talents
Won't call you a savant
Though on Poetry Soup you're image is unfettered
Enough is enough, mustn't cause too much laughter
For fear you might think it's your body I'm after
On my mama's grave
It's only friendship I crave
Okay I admit writing this while a bit plastered
© Jack Ellison 2015
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