October 9th, 2005
Poem
I Am a Stutterer
I am a stuttering young man.
I wonder what I could have done to prevent this stuttering fate.
I hear the mocking.
I see loathing in others’ eyes.
I want God to take this plight from me.
I am a stuttering young man.
I pretend that I am not consumed by this burden.
I feel anticipatory anxiety when attempting to speak.
I touch my hand to my heart for fear that it may explode.
I worry about approaching new acquaintances.
I cry at night within my own self pity.
I am a stuttering young man.
I understand that stuttering is my fate.
I say that each day will make me a stronger person.
I dream that I can recite my wedding vows flawlessly.
I try to practice my wedding vows every night.
I hope that I am not going to be an embarrassment to my future wife.
I am a stuttering young man.
cstout1982
2. Audience: General Public
3. Say Back: The writer is talking about how stuttering makes him feels inadequate and like an embarrassment to others. He tries to be optimistic about it but is not successful.
4. Bless: I really like the line about reciting his wedding vows flawlessly. Once again, it just makes it seem like this is a real person.
5. Address: It seems like the phrase "anticipatory anxiety" is a little too clinical for a poem this emotional. I would keep the idea of the line but change that phrase.
nutter22
2. Audience: Other individuals who also stutter
3. Say Back: The author is saying how a person who stutters feels about his disorder. The author is saying how nervous and fearful a stutterer feels about speaking and messing up.
4. Bless: Again, the author is so descriptive about what the client is feeling. I love the line, "I touch my hand to my heart for fear that it may explode". It says so well exactly how the client feels and I can relate to that because I have been that nervous before in certain situations. It is also good how the author connects the two genres by talking about the wedding. This shows that this is very important to the client.
5. Address: I did not come across any typos. The only thing I can think that may make the poem stronger is to maybe add some more positive things that the client does to help his stuttering. This may help others who read the poem to think positive about his/her disorder.