At age 14, I wrote my first poem, I Wonder, as a project for my 9th grade English class.

We were studying the ancient Greek epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer. I Wonder was written from the perspective of Penelope as if she was speaking to Odysseus from across the vast seas.

Fortunately, my then-English teacher was very supportive of my work, and encouraged me to continue writing poetry. I believe he even kept the poem in his collection of favorite works by his students, which was a great honor, and made me feel like I had upward potential.