"Tell me not in Mournful Numbers, that Life is but a dream….." this is the beginning of one of the poems that I did for state competition for Poetry Out Loud. Poetry Out Loud is national, recitation contest where students like me memorize and then act out a poem. The program starts on a school level, and then precedes to district. District winners go on to the state level, and those that win state go on to national competition. I was the school champion for Chatham Central High School, and the district winner for Chatham County.
I thought the whole competition was a great experience. At the school level I was very confident, however others doubted that I would win because they thought that last year's district winner would win again this year. However, while all contestants did brilliantly, I was the one to get to go to state with Brandy Hinrichs as the runner up. I was extremely nervous and excited, and for several weeks I received really weird looks because I would randomly start reciting poems to myself during extra class time. It took forever for me to convince everyone I really wasn't talking to myself.
At state competition I was one of the last ones to go so I was really nervous. However, once I got onstage I felt a lot better. I have always felt really comfortable in front of people. While I didn't make it to the finals, I think I did really well. It was an enriching experience, and there's always next year ; )
