Last week I received a package of letters from grade six students at Earl Haig School in Toronto. Their teacher, Mr. Salsman, had read “Word Nerd” aloud to the class, and apparently it was a big hit. These letters were really amazing; very thoughtful, very insightful and shockingly smart. Included in the package was a poem by a girl named Beatrice. I read it out loud to my husband and son and got completely choked up. She nailed the themes of “Word Nerd” beautifully, in a way I never could. She’s given me permission to reprint her poem here:WORD NERD POEM
He
His broken past
His broken heart
His freedom earned
Where can he start?
The boy with acceptance
The girl with love
Can heal his mind
His past erased
By the love of two
A boy
All alone
Held down by his grief
Friendless, hopeless
Losing hold of all dreams.
Meets the broken man
And with him finds himself wanted,
appreciated and saved.
Both had lost hope
Both all alone
In each other they found friendship
In each other they found hope.
By Beatrice
Well…it’s me again after many years. I still read Word Nerd to my students. They still fall in love with it. Beatrice has begun an incredible career as a writer. I have been privileged to read some of her work through high school as I know one of her high school English teachers and keep in touch with her mother. She is brilliant!!
Thanks again, for posting this poem.
Cheers,
Ken Salsman
How wonderful – thank you for letting me know! Sorry for the terribly slow response, I’m not very good at staying up to date with my blog.