32 Comments

The realisation there are others like us and yet so unlike us...

Such a beautiful poem, Elizabeth!

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The way other people are such an oddly familiar mystery ... !

Thank you so much for reading, Fotini. 💛🌿

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you both came alone to school— He to play his pipes and you on your bike alone..

Wonderful discovery an adult who likes solitude as much as you do!

"I enjoyed your reading of this Voiceover.

I could just see you paddling away to the tune of the bagpipes as you discovered this wonderful aspect of your teacher alone .

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Thanks and love, Looocinda! 💛🌿

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Wonderful - through your words I could clearly see "... egg-shaped Mr. Hartzell striding up and down his stuffy classroom, the bagpipe in his arms ...".

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I'm so glad, Linda -- thank you!

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Wonderful, Elizabeth. Really, such a pleasure to read. You've perfectly captured that sense of a child who doesn't quite know the rules of the grown up world, so it's strange and familiar all at once. You've drawn this with such precision, I feel like I saw it, like a scene from movie. Thank you for sharing this.

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Thanks so much, Tara!

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Somebody had to write the moment down, indeed, and you did it so skillfully. Thanks for working through the challenge of this one so we could enjoy it.

Hope you are back in full health again soon!

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Thanks so much, Elizabeth!

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the two months were absolutely worth it. What a great poem. "And now Alone means something new..." Brilliant. Thanks for sharing.

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Glad you enjoyed it, Simon! Thank you for reading.

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This is such a wonderful poem about a moment when the world shifts and suddenly things are a bit different. Magical. I could see it so vividly. I was right there.

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I'm so glad, LeeAnn, thank you!

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"-- and now Alone

means something new." I love this.

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Thank you, Margaret Ann! 💛🌿

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Wonderful, heartfelt sequences culminating in that last heart-in-mouth glimpse of a lone piper... Everything necessary is in this poem, driving us to its final vision.

As a loner myself, I would say this poem is a loner's paradise of moods and understanding.

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Thanks so much for this generous, appreciative reading, Sunny

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Took courage to bare your soul. Thank you.

Auntie B

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Thanks for being such a faithful reader, B.!

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Somebody had to write that moment down and that somebody was you, and that's how we roll, we become that somebody because we have to. Who else is going to use skirl so perfectly? Loved every moment.

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I was so tickled when skirl showed up at just the right moment ... ! Thanks so much for your generous reading, Wes.

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Beautiful, heartfelt, relatable! Thank you for opening up in this way. It’s much appreciated.

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So glad you enjoyed it, MsLucy!

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You beckoned me to join you in the classroom, on the bike, in the curiosity and connection. Not usually a fan of long, prose poems, I could not read this one fast enough; wanting to know more, see more, feel more.

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So glad it captured you, Kim. Thank you for reading.

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"That odd, solitary kid, staring at him through the window with her mouth open."

This struck a chord because it could have easily been me.

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We are a quiet legion, we odd solitary kids! Thanks so much for reading, Linda Ruth.

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I think you did a great job at welcoming the reader in to the heart of your poem (and memory).

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Thank you so much, Mary Katherine.

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an encounter with a bagpiper.... always astonishing; even more so when completely unexpected. a strange and magical moment, vividly described in time and place. thank you!

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Thank you for sharing the moment with me, Nancy. 💛🌿

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