A Rookie's Poem

By Elizabeth Smith

Confidence does not stay near
no matter how it comes, fast or slow,
and I must try to keep it here.

Like when the ice in March last year
quickly melted, retreating in a flow,
confidence does not stay near.

It soon returns when I hear
some praise I earn or borrow,
and I must try to keep it here

without the necessary gear,
like when I shoveled with my hoe.
Confidence does not stay near.

Soon it scampers off, I fear,
or loafs and overfeeds the ego,
and I must try to keep it here,

placed in my purse, with peanuts, where
maybe it won’t chew a hole.
Confidence does not stay near,
and I must try to keep it here.