Eventually, I meet a few friendly people
who understand my shyness.
There is a young man my age
who is often ill, so he has sympathy
for my homesickness.
His father turns out to be
the president of Chile,
who invites me to lunch,
where I’m treated
like family.
When I win a verse competition,
I’m surprised, but all the other guests
say they expected it.
Triumph is a feeling like flight,
a hopeful unfolding of feathers,
and then the sheer delight
of feeling accepted.