Today I was given the honor of being asked to read some of my work in front of the EngW1201 Lecture Hall at the University of Minnesota. It's located in an auditorium that seats about 250 people. So, I was slightly nervous prior to the reading. But when I reached the mic and looked out onto the crowd, I became quite excited about this opportunity that I was partaking in. I'm usually not one to speak up in large crowds, but I felt confident speaking in front of my peers. Overall, it was a great experience and one that will motivate me to continue writing in hopes of being able to do another reading in the future.

Here's the poem which I read today. Thanks for reading.

Stucco
By Ben Fouquette

Walls of a dingy white, brown lacquer on the picture frame,
eyes sparkling blue, intense teeth gleaming.

Hard wood cabinet, bought after the little fingers had grown,
angel faces, empty expressions, hands held to the Lord.

Pheasants rush up, encased in a sheen of birch,
two hundred total, not a Rembrandt or Monet.

Gold frame, the prodigal one, the youngest son,
moving out and south to warmer weather, colder climates.

Adorning the walls of a childhood home,
hardly heeded in past days, now the plot is over.

God he must feel weathered, that boy in the frame,
hanging on his walls, the memory in younger days.

Faith in restoration, recuperation of a dingy, white wall,
the pillar of picture frames and cabinet cases and youth.