Upbeat Poems By A Beatdownpoet' By Shirley Stanley Mccoy Years Ago In A Little One-Roomcountry Schoolhouse-Grades 1-8 Inclusive Our Teacher Miss Evelyn Vaughnintroduced Us To Poetry By The Pros: Rudyard Kipling Oliver Wendell Holmes Edna St. Vincent Millay Henry Wadsworth Long Fellow Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Frost And Robert Burns. For Assignments We Were Required To Memorize Their Poems Stand Up In Front Of The Class And Recite Them Aloud. I Was Eight Years Old When I Discovered I Could Actually Hear Music In Words! With Delight I Began To Write Simple Verses To Amuse Myself. From Then On Writing Poetry Not Only Became An Escape Form Of Relaxation But A Tangible Way To Express My Deepest Feelings-A Gift From God! Dear Reader As You Run The Gauntlet Of My Emotions Enjoy The Journey! And In Your Life-1 Encourage You To Hang In There Be Uplifted With Hope And To Be The Better For Having Read My Mood Poetry!