Sharing Writing

After my recent post about Cate and her keys that Daddy gave her, my aunt sent me the following poem, which I think warrants sharing in more than just the comment section.

The “Key” to her Daddy’s Heart

They open the doors to the place we call home,
They bring us security,
Whenever we roam.

They’ll start a car running,
Or lock a diary up tight,
They sprout wings when we’ve lost them,
And stay out of sight.

They can unlock that old chest,
Where treasures may be,
They can open a bird cage,
And let them soar free.

But there’s a key that’s most precious,
And it’s been there from the start,
It’s the key that Cate carries,
That fits Daddy’s heart.

With love to Daddy Eric and the keeper of the keys…Miss Cate

Aunt Brenda McAninch 08/24/2009

My aunt is a great writer! Here she is with Cate last fall.
My mom says she gets her writing talent from my great-grandmother (mother's father's mother), whom I never met. I guess my great-grandmother was always being asked to write things for her church and for others. I love this poem! Eric printed out a copy which is now hanging in his cubicle at work. I printed out a keepsake copy for Cate and one to take to school with me to show my students what a wonderful and personal gift writing can be. I'm hoping to do something new this December and write gifts for people (poems, memoirs, whatever) for the holidays.

And while we're on the subject of writing, did I ever mentioned that I was published on another blog? I don't think so. You see here's the thing about me and writing. I'm an English teacher and I love to write and I love to blog, but I don't like to get too personal (although I'm working on this). So when I participated in The Letter Project with a friend, I was scared to death. Scared because I knew I wanted to be honest and while I had known the woman to whom I was writing since middle school and we did run in a lot of the same circles (band, theater, etc.), we hadn't really started forging a friendship until recently through our blogs and Facebook and a wedding we're both in. It was terrifying and freeing all at the same time. You can read my letter and more about The Letter Project here.

While I recognize that there are certain things in life that shouldn't be shared on such a public forum like a blog, I also hope that this can be the beginning of me opening up a little more with my writing. Maybe not on the blog, but maybe by writing my own gifts for my family or being a little more personal in the writing I share with my students. You've got to start somewhere I guess and I'm beginning to wonder how I made it though a Master's program in teaching writing when I find sharing personal writing so terrifying. I think it was the "teaching" writing part that saved me. I didn't have to get too personal.

~Melody :-)