In a totally unguarded, spontaneous, and totally refreshing moment, my counselor described it as “hysterical.”
Marilyn and I are both excited and terrified. We “volunteered” to teach poetry to children ages six to ten for four weeks in July at the Patterson Park Community Center Summer Camp. This is something way outside our comfort zone, but we did make a resolution to keep pushing ourselves.
We have been attending poetry at Patterson Park on Friday nights and just casually mentioned that we might be willing to assist with the summer camp. Someone later advised us to never offer to volunteer to a nonprofit. That advice came just a little too late.
We really don’t know exactly what to expect. However, at the same time, we are expecting to be surprised during every session by the creativity and spontaneity of these children. We are also expecting to learn more about ourselves and our own creativity and to become better people, and maybe even better poets, as a result of this experience.
Barbara Marie Minney is a transgender woman, poet, writer, speaker, and quiet activist. She is a retired attorney and originally from West Virginia. Now based in Tallmadge, Ohio, her first collection of poetry entitled “If There’s No Heaven” was the winner of the 2020 Poetry Is Life Book Award and the Akron Beacon Journal Best Northeast Ohio Books 2020. It is available at www.poetryislifepublishig.com. Follow her at www.barbaramarieminneypoetry.com.