# Individual speech help **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** poetry\ **Created:** [February 19, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individual-speech-help/1027818 "2026-02-19T15:30:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lilybug0309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lilybug0309/32/20349_2.png) [@lilybug0309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilybug0309)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individual-speech-help/1027818/1 "2026-02-19T15:30:58Z")
Hey, I know I haven’t been on in a minute, but I have been trying to keep up with my school work. With this being my last year I am excited to graduate and head off to college. But before I can do that I am doing a poetry reading at a state level speech competition. Could I get some opinions on this poem I wrote, and help creating an intro to the poem. I need something that to explain the poem before reading, and some opinions on how the poem made you feel. If additional information is needed I will gladly reply to that. Here’s the poem: _Forever Lost, by: Lily Spencer_ Smile It’s a beautiful day The birds are singing Flowers blooming sun is shining Yet you can’t seem to make yourself do it Make yourself smile March 16, 2019 You just turned eleven Just one week ago Everyone’s acting fine Like nothing happened last night They don’t know what it’s like To have something so precious forced away Taken Lost Broken Gone Forever They don’t understand what it’s like to be alone What it’s like to be lost In a world of regret Where the monsters stand tall Above everything and everyone Untouchable And out of reach So powerful Even when they meet defeat Questions without answers Why didn’t you fight harder Scream louder Try to do more How were you supposed to understand How were you supposed to know that this is what would change you completely You’re reminded everyday That normal is gone forever You never laugh the same Smile the same Act the same Why is it that even when you’re told you’re not alone His memory somehow finds a way to remind you that you can no longer be yourself That you will forever be lost With no map to give you direction No way to return to the place you felt so safe Why you Why now You remember what it was like before When the monster wasn’t so scary You felt clean Loved Perfect But now you’re damaged used Lost Gone Forever From who you were From who you wish to become Though this isn’t what hurts What hurts is nobody understands how you can still feel his hands on your skin And yet they say they can relate But they don’t know the constant reminders Or the way everyone looks at you with pity The way they make it seem like you should feel bad for yourself Still The pain is unbearable After all these years You should just forget It should be easy You shouldn’t be so lost You shouldn’t need to let yourself remember those scars But you can’t forget The permanent fixation of a physical memory Something so ugly So painful Yet it gives you that comfort That safety to be with something you know Something that hurts But lets you focus on it enough to forget To forget the monster that made you be lost You fight so hard to want To need Something so much more powerful than a broken memory You want to go back Need to go back To fix what had happened To get back what you lost So much gone They can see it in your eyes You pity yourself for not being able to accept this new you For not being able to accept that they may understand you That they may be able to forgive you To love you All of you Every broken Lost Unbearable Part of you That you can’t seem to forgive Forgiveness comes in time They say time will heal Some scar are permanent Some scars never go away Created by a monster Still showing through till this day Only able to be accepted To be lived with Never allowing itself to be pushed away Everyday is a battle That you know far to well With love Loss Forgive And forget The process to get to success Something you long for Something you want That feeling of lost Will soon be all but gone ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individual-speech-help/1027818/2 "2026-02-20T02:49:32Z")
Well, I find it relatable in a lot of ways. I had PTSD for over twenty years and it is largely somatic flashbacks which is what I believe you are describing. So I found it moving. I like that you have a turning point at the end that offers some hope to the listener. I’m not sure how certain that hope is, though. It comes through as a little unsure. If you are there yet, maybe you could work on making it stronger. There are ideas repeated a lot that you could probably edit down. You only have to express the same idea once or twice. I’m not sure how to tell you to introduce it because it’s obviously your story. You can give as little info as you want. “This poem is about healing from trauma” or something simple. Your story is in the poem. As a final note, I am 42 and I’m fine, and you’re going to get there, too. Writing is excellent for processing difficult emotions and trauma is great fodder for creativity. Keep creating, keep expressing yourself, and believe in that turning point in your poem. Healing is possible. ---
**Author:** ![lilybug0309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lilybug0309/32/20349_2.png) [@lilybug0309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilybug0309)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individual-speech-help/1027818/3 "2026-02-20T14:57:00Z")
I’m appreciate ur feedback. It is nice to know that somebody who doesn’t know me personally, or rather can’t be super biased, thinks my poem is moving. The hope in this poem comes from what I want. What I wish to have going forward in my life. I found that a monster is created as a physical being but even when they are gone their memory follows. Thus creating a new monster. Something you can’t just forget or leave behind. When writing this poem I wrote it towards the person I was 6 years ago. That little girl who fought quietly and didn’t seem so strong. So, when I think of this poem I have decided that I want it to be for anyone who has a monster or a past. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individual-speech-help/1027818/4 "2026-02-20T16:48:20Z")
> [@lilybug0309](#): > > When writing this poem I wrote it towards the person I was 6 years ago. That little girl who fought quietly and didn’t seem so strong. So, when I think of this poem I have decided that I want it to be for anyone who has a monster or a past. That sounds like a great way to introduce the poem.