We
had to make a decision
Which
of us fourth graders would report.
This
was not merely a class presentation.
All grades would be in the auditorium.
I
had written most of the stuff about Poland.
Each
presentation before mine went
To
the kid who had contributed the most to that report.
But,
here was a problem:
I
had a lisp, I mumbled and I stuttered.
Generously,
I would attribute Mrs. Alexanders’
Suggestion
that someone else report on Poland,
To
a concern I might embarrass myself.
She
voiced the opinion that Fred, big fat Fred,
Who
had a large voice, might give the report.
To
my delight there was class-wide head shaking.
The
following vote was hardly needed.
I
can’t say the auditorium was shaken
By
the brilliance of my report on Poland.
I
can’t say my voice boomed, reaching all 250 students.
But
I can say I fell in love with democracy.
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