Poetry Break!

I discovered poetry break in Saudi Arabia. My parents moved there when I was 6, and by 2nd grade, they enrolled me in an American school. I did not speak any English, and I remember sitting in my new class, waiting for my ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher to pull me out during Language Arts so I could learn the basics. Meanwhile, it seemed everyone around me was doing better things! They were reading real books! They were listening to stories! They were doing real 2nd grade things! But towards the end of the year, my ESL teacher thought I was good enough to stay in my regular class - and she couldn't have picked a better moment! It was Poetry Break month, and we would each choose a poem to read aloud to all the other classes in the school. Now that I think back, it was probably my first time speaking English to such a captive audience (the whole class would have my undivided attention!). I chose a poem - Nobody loves me, by Shel Silverstein, and began my love for poetry then. It was such a triumph for me. With time, I learned that poetry is just as wonderful in my own private moments...although sometimes, it is just nice to share ;)