Today, the church I attend, Grace and St. Peter’s, in Hamden, CT, had its second annual International Food Night and Talent Show. This year, I read three of my poems, The Seals, Knitting, and ”Random Acts of Kindness”.

It was a friendly crowd. People who have known me for years, but who haven’t heard me read. Most, probably didn’t even know I wrote poetry. It was nerve wracking. The evening started off with people singing and telling funny stories. The flow of the evening settled down, so my reading which was near the end fit in better than I feared it might when we got going.

Despite having written for many years, and having had poems published in school literary magazines years ago, this was the first time I read in public.

It seemed to be well received, but now, I am exhausted.