When last we saw Imelda, she was reciting "The Harp Song of the Dane Women" in the living room.* ("That's the poem she does that reminds me most of Anne Shirley," younger sister Joan commented thoughtfully.)
She went on to the state competition, though, with the two poems she'd recited in her school competition: "Richard Cory" and "Golden Retrievals," a poem which I must confess I had never heard of before but which seems to be turning into Melly's signature piece, she being an optimistic and energetic dog-lover.
She had three others in her repertoire; uncertain of which she should pick as a tie-breaker, "should one be needed", she enlisted the help of her English teacher, who had gotten her into th--provided her with this wonderful opportunity in the first place. Another English teacher graciously agreed to help out, and based on their advice and the majority opinion of a class of older students, Melly settled on "Death Be Not Proud."
She didn't get to recite that one.
As far as we knew, Poetry Out Loud was over for us for the year when we left the New York State Museum on the evening of February 3. Two winners had been announced, and neither of them was Imelda. (The regional competition was originally set for February 1 but had to be rescheduled due to inclement weather, which will come as a surprise only to anyone who has never lived in Upstate New York.)
Now, it turns out, she is going on to the state competition, also in Albany, on March 5.
If we were surprised, she was bewildered.
"Why?"
Nobody seems to know for sure. Her teacher phoned me, having received an email (and this to a school email account, while school was in recess for winter break):
"In reviewing the results... your student qualified to compete in the NYS finals...."
So we've been speculating. Somebody added points up incorrectly? (I certainly can sympathize with this; it's a pretty complicated scoring system, and involves, well, math.) They were supposed to pick three finalists, not two, and she came in third? So far, we don't know, and therefore can't tell her.*** But it's back to Albany on March 5.
And Jane-Clare, who had promised Imelda a fruit bouquet if she won, showed, or placed in the regional competition, now has to make good on that. Personally I'd be holding out for one with hand-dipped strawberries, but Imelda isn't all that fond of chocolate. Go figure.
And Imelda, who hates to shop, has to decide yet again what to wear. (Last time it was a shirt-dress Jane-Clare and I picked out for her while she was doing something else, boots identical but for the color to the ones Jane-Clare purchased for herself and asked Imelda's opinion about, and a little silk scarf I haggled over in Chinatown last August. Unless Jane-Clare objects, it'll probably be the same outfit again. Just a guess.)
She doesn't have to give any thought to which poems she'll recite, as the rules require she do the same three in the same order.
This is good, especially as she wound up with just a week and a half in which to prepare.
I got to thinking. Had Imelda not transferred from one small local school to another ** this past August, she wouldn't have gone to Albany for Poetry Out Loud even once, let alone twice. Her former school didn't participate. This means that she has the opportunity, rare for a younger member of a large family, to be a trailblazer. Her older siblings Bertille, Duthac, Matthias and Jane-Clare have received awards for creative writing; Peter and Duthac, for drama.
But not for reciting poetry.
It's certainly been a year for reflecting on how things develop, or don't.
Hmmm.
A person could probably get a poem out of that... let alone a blog.
*Well, okay, if you have been following the blog then technically you saw her last locating my buzzing cell phone for me, but this is all about Poetry Out Loud.
**names of both available upon request
***It's now official: they added up wrong, and she actually came in second. Apparently they should have a CPA looking over the score sheets.
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