Today I am envious of all the hype leading up to NCTE because I won’t be going for the first time in ten years. I hope all of you who are attending have a wonderful conference and send out some ELA love into the universe.
This morning Emily led the Ethical ELA Open Write with an invitation to write an acrostic about the best and the worst of yourself. I usually avoid looking too closely in the mirror for fear of what I might see. And of course, I have a long name with repeated letters that added an even harder challenge, but this is what I got in the wee dark hours of the morning.
At my best,
Mood smooth like malbec wine
A steady
Rock you can lean on
Grounded in my faith
Alert to nature
Ready for a long talk
Empathetic with my tears
Trust me with your pain.At my worst,
Moody
Arrogantly
Reserved
Guarding my soul
Assailed by doubt
Reactive
Enneagram four evading reality
Torturing myself…But I’ll always love you with intensity.
Reflections on the Teche 
Ooh, I have written name acrostics before but never in the best-worst way. I admire your honesty.
Oh my goodness!
You are something else…
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Margaret, I feel like I know so much more about you after reading your poem – particularly the enneagram number. I nearly cried when I took the test and found out I was a one. I don’t like ones. I wanted to be more like you. I like that you invite us to trust you with our pain. I can rest in that.
I’m married to a one. It’s a hard number to be but 4 is no picnic either. In health I go to one. My oldest daughter is really into it so she is teaching us.
I really enjoyed writing these best/worst acrostics. What a great prompt! Your responses are so honest. Thanks for sharing these poems. I so appreciate all the aspects of Margaret!