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Decorated with short hair, freckles and glasses,
I advanced, trepidations held close in my pocket,
Towards a new beginning – third grade.
A new city, a new school, and new taunts
Being hurled, by mealy-mouthed villains,
Without regard to tender feelings.

Caustic jeering catapulted me into the isolation
Of what little nature the city furnished – a canal,
Running the length of my miniscule world,
Surrounded by portentous underbrush and trees.
Deliverance met me at this wondrous culvert –
Channeling sagacity that eluded me elsewhere.

Stepping onto the narrow, dusty footpath,
The voices of contempt quickly disappeared;
Drowned by gurgling waters, slipping easily past,
On their way to unknown lands of acceptance.
Traipsing amidst dense brambles only scratched;
Traversing the tight rope at recess left me branded.

Escaping their nastiness propelled me towards asylum,
I weaved beneath lush overhanging branches and
Over perilous drainage ditches, to escape their rebukes.
Eventually tenacity reaped the ultimate revenge:
My private haven of tranquility surfaced ahead –
The gnarled, sturdy, curved trunk; perfect for climbing.

Each wobbly step lifted me higher into the canopy,
Granting blissful peace to my disconsolate mind.
Only then, in the bosom of nature’s sanctuary,
I watered the ground with morsels of my soul.
Springing forth from the dirt, new green leaves,
Renewed my hope in the remorse of monsters.