Narrative Poem

English 100

I was an average and sometimes failing student

—uninspired.

I looked at my report card.

Japanese I D

History 101 D

Math 101 D

English 100 A

I felt stupid—a knot of regret grew inside of me

because I knew I was smart and that I could do better.

I harvested an A for English 100 from Mrs. Kapur.

Her seasoned eyes were piercing,

weighing every word that came out of our mouths

English 100 with Mrs. Kapur was English boot camp.

Is banning text or speeches ever justified?

What constitutes sexual harassment?

Does affirmative action provide equal opportunities?

We pondered oceans of questions every day.

Anyone can have an opinion,

but are you able to have the

finesse and craft to convince

people that your argument

is what matters?

Mrs. Kapur pushed, prodded and planted

All the tools I needed

to navigate through the deepest ditch of my mind,

so that I might find the light.

After my first semester,

I never got a grade lower than a B

and even made the Dean’s List twice

thanks to English 100.