I am standing alone in front of the class.
“A little off pitch but good tonal quality, dear.”
Mrs. Rignall, the music teacher, informs me.
I keep practicing
Do- Re- Mi- Fa -So- La -Ti- Do and
try not to fidget,
standing
first on one leg then another,
Imagine myself as a flamingo
gingerly stepping on a muddy bank.
Pretending not to be nervous
a fifteen-year-old
super shy girl
with a giant zit on the tip of her nose.
Hoping no one will notice
knowing everyone does.
I remember how to breathe
through my diaphragm
and the words
to the end of the song.
Shyness doesn’t run in the family.
My Dad sang beautifully as a choirboy
Grandpa excelled as a musician and poet.
Hmm, maybe I can hum on key.
2/7/26
Published by
C. S. De Dona
Author, Poet, Photographer, domestic violence survivor, and naturalized immigrant, Cornelia is currently an Arts and Letters member of The Southwest Florida Branch of The National League Of American Pen Women.
Cornelia lived in Kaneohe, Hawaii, for thirty-six years. Also, seven years in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York. She now resides in North Fort Myers, Florida.
Her poems and photography are published in print, online, and in Rain Bird, a literary and art journal of the University of Hawaii's Windward Community College (2008-2013).
In 2013, Cornelia received Rain Bird's Kolokolea Poetry Prize for her poem, "Speaking French."
In 2016, her chapbook "Hawaiian Time," entered in the National League of American Pen Women's Vinnie Ream contest, was awarded third place in their inaugural multi-discipline category.
View all posts by C. S. De Dona
Corney Press 
Nicely done! I am sure you have developed a good voice! Just keep writing and singing!
LikeLiked by 1 person