The English Teacher and the Frog

Story of my academic life. "Cathy is a joy to have in class, but she needs to wrtie more". "Cathy is very bright, but she needs to write more". "You need more". More? More what? More words that take up space and really don't do much besides take up paper? WHY? Why write more? I've already given you the answer. Why write more? What the hell else would you like me to say? This was usually a bone of contention in my English class. "Compare and contrast...) blah, blah, blah. The poem is about a Turtle and a Frog. The End. Write more. Um... It's about a green turtle and green frog? No, it's about the eternal struggle of mankind to prosper. Oh? really? I didn't see those words in that poem, I saw a turtle and frog. No, I am not dense. Yes, I understand metaphor. However, I believe in being precise with language whenever possible. Words have depth and power. One should choose said words carefully and with deliberation. Words contain magic. "Abbracadabra!" Words carry hope. "Dear God..." Words can be weapons. "I don't care." Words and thier complexity are what allow us to convey the strange beauty of our thougths and hopes and dreams. I struggle with finding the right words sometimes. I will become lazy and use words that are close or I can claim have the same meaning. But that is a disservice to the word and a denial of my true thought. Perhaps maybe that is why I never wrote very much. I was afraid to show how I really felt, what I really wanted or what I deeply needed. Once upon a time, in a land not so very far away, live a small frog, and she was green...