To keep energy in my head
I dressed myself in vibrant red.
Enter contest and speak on Zoom
Like open mike, must read the room
Turn each page, still earn a wage
At my age, still on the stage
Looking for my inspiration
From the landscape or the nation
Seeking twisting in the plot
Finding fun where there's a knot
Interviewed in the interval
How do deal with glass half full?
Some you win and some you lose
Dressed in colours like a cruise
In Zoom waiting rooms, blind as a bat
Beaten by a poet reciting rap
Write my life, tell my story
Interviewed, give myself glory
Avoid all fiction and faction
End with a clear call to action
Do what all good speakers do
End with smiles and nods to you
Another stop in life's station
Certificate of participation
Even though I did not win
Inspired to rewrite, must begin
But I won a little win
Presented with a Pathway pin
Lots to learn from speech winner
Feel much better after dinner.
Shrugging at the passing time
Eating chocolate, sipping wine
Lastly, before I go to bed
Remember what Napoleon said
He spoke of delights of Champagne
A thought which I'll repeat again
'In victoty you deserve it,' I concede it
'But in defeat, you need it..'
This fond Gran does not back pedal
When three -year-olds all get a medal
My spouse says, 'They must choose
You can't all always win! Be prepared to lose!'
For little children, women and men
Lose, then prepare to run again
Winning is not out of reach
I'm already writing .my next speech
Don't be sadder, just be gladder
One step up the success ladder.
-ends-
I was in the Division L International Evaluation Contest, Saturday March 9th 2024, one of 8 contestants, not placed in the top three. I had previously won at club level, came third at area level, but was a last minute entrant at the third level, Division level, when the person ahead of me had to drop out.
Photo
Angela Lansbury wearing red, smiling after losing the speech evaluation contest. Photo by Trevor Sharot. Copyright.
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