Ode to Scotch Tape

When I was a sophomore in high school, one of our teachers was totally hooked on poetry. She’d often hand each one of us a piece of paper with one word written on it.

Our assignment was to craft a poem using that word as our subject.

One morning, my word was TAPE.

Little did I know, my teacher submitted it to the 3M company. They liked it so much, they send me an entire case of their newest tape (which of course, I had to share with my class). What a thrill it was to be recognized at the ender age of fourteen just because I wrote a silly poem.

I call it: ODE TO SCOTCH TAPE

There I sat and feeling blue,

‘Cause I needed some special glue.

My paper note was ripped in two,

And I didn’t know a thing to do.

*

I felt so bad although I cried.

I cried so hard, I almost died.

After my tears had finally dried,

My face was a wreck and I had to hide.

*

A friend of mine gave me a break.

He came to me, my hand to take.

He said to me, “For heaven’s sake,

Haven’t you heard of Scotch Brand Tape?”

*

I said no and started to grin.

He gave me a piece and it looked so thin.

It’s used all over by women and men –

But can it make a five note, ten?

As I said, I was FOURTEEN when I wrote this. Not great but it was a beginning.