Thikth thimy thnailth thailed thlowly thouth

Again and again my tongue would betray me
Tripping and slipping,
A tangle of frustration whenever I spoke.
Two teachers were there
Two mentors, two supporters, cheerleaders and motivators
The five long, struggling years of my tangled tongue.

Months went by
They pushed and prodded me
Giving me encouragement,
Slowly but surely I was untangling my words
I was ecstatic that day
That day that I didn’t trip over my tongue.
Beginning ‘s’ and ending ‘s’ I had mastered them

More time passed,
How embarrassing is it to have a name you can’t pronounce
A name that no matter how hard you try or how slowly you say it
It always comes out wrong.
Those ‘s’s in the middle they were my downfall.

Years went by
No matter how my spirits flagged they were there
Patiently helping me to fight my tangled tongue
FINALLY
I could do it!
I could say MY name!
JESSICA

Not long after was my final test
One tongue twister after another
I beat them all like a warrior against a beast
They fell
My tongue untangled and did what
I wanted it to do.

My snarled speech my tangle of frustration was over
It still sometimes trips and slips
But more importantly
I learned that
Compassion, patience, persistence
Laughter and hard work build confidence
Believing in a child will make them believe in themselves
THAT will make ANYTHING possible.