I guess we never take into account
How each of our actions
Pile up
Piece

By


Piece
Adding, to a larger outcome
Each stroke paints a big picture
Each brick builds a wall
Each piece solves a puzzle
Each action affects a lifetime
I guess I never realized
How one word could
CHANGE
My entire life
‘Shoes’

Dear Mr. Treebour,

I guess we never realize the affect we have on people’s life, even when we didn’t. You probably have no idea, the ways you changed my life. I guess we bring ourselves to forget about the girl who sits alone in the back of the classroom. Though we forget about her, she still hears what we say.

The class was still except for the moving pens, all but mine. I sat silently staring into space imagining what to write, until my eyes caught glimpse of yours. You slowly walked over and asked me what I was going to write about. I told you that I had no idea, so you took the class outside for inspiration.

It was a day in autumn, where the trees sat still, and leaves began to fall and dry upon the desolate sidewalk. You asked if I had any inspiration yet. “No,” I replied.

“Alright, I want you to try something for me.”

“What?”

“Close your eyes.”

I shut my eyes, taking in each sound, though one powered over the others.

“What was it?”

“What was what?” I asked, sounding confused, however, I knew what he was addressing, so, before he said another word, I took the floor and said, “Shoes.”

He smiled. As we began writing again the pen in my hand began moving for the first time in an extraordinary fluid motion, crafting an image of the different shoes and the sounds they made. My writing spoke in a way, which I never had before.

Although that writing assignment went well, I never thought of it again until several months later. During the midst of class, you pulled me over, and took me out of class. You told me that all the teachers were going to a writing class, and you wanted to bring me.

The woman who spoke was not extremely intelligent, she used phrases such as ‘super duper’, and however I found myself deeply absorbed in what she was saying. She spoke about how we (as humans) have to write for ourselves. She spoke about how when you enjoy your own work, other’s will inevitably follow. She talked about how writing was an escape, and an opportunity to paint a picture with words. Normally, I wouldn’t have listened to a woman like this, however her voice was passionate and confident. At the end she said, “You can’t please everyone, but you can always please yourself.” At that exact moment I knew that I wanted to be a writer.

So Mr. Treebour, I just want to say thanks! At the beginning of the year in fourth grade you asked me what I wanted to be what I grew up, I had no idea. Ask me now, and I know exactly what I want to do. You changed my life.







-The girl in the back corner