And the winner is...

I'm standing at some stupid ceremony at City Hall. My mom is in the audience. She's beaming. I'm so angry with her I could scream. A man approaches with a camera. He has a press badge hanging from his neck.

"Smile!" he says, and takes our picture.

Argh!!? All my friends are gonna see this!

It's the late afternoon on some non descript day in the late 1980s. I'm 12. All I care about is getting home so I can go play with my friends; but I have to accept some stupid award for some stupid poem I wrote that my mom entered into a city wide contest.

It's humiliating. I'm beyond embarrassed. And now, this stupid man from the stupid newspaper took my photo and all my friends are gonna see it and know what a complete loser I really am.

I hate my mom. Why are moms so mean?

OK. I don't really hate my mom. I feel bad now that I thought that. I look at her in the audience. She has this big smile and her hand is waving faster than a hummingbird flaps its wings. How does she do that? I hope her wrist is ok...

The man steps up to the podium and introduces the 2nd runner up. It's some guy. He's tall and geeky looking. He has really bad curly hair. They go on and on and on about his stupid Masters degree in English and all the stupid stuff he's published.

This is so totally brutal!

He steps up and accepts his award. I roll my eyes. I look back at my mom. She gives me a "you better behave" scary look, so I stand up straight again. I start to play with my jelly bracelets because I AM SO BORED! I hope this is over soon. I hope all my friends don't take off on me...

The man begins to introduce the first runner up. She's short and fat and geeky looking too. They go on and on and on about her Masters degree in English and all the stupid stuff she's published.

I glare at my mom. I can't believe she put me up to this. She glares back. We're having a staring contest and I'm NOT budging. I can't believe she would do this to me! I can't believe she would be SO mean and embarrass me like this! What if one of my friends walks by and they tell everyone? I hate her again...but two seconds later I feel bad so I stop. She breaks her glare first because the man is now introducing me.

OH! I'm so embarrassed. I don't want to be here. Please God beam me out of here right now!

"And our first place winner is 12 years old, a grade eight student named Karen. She tells us this is her first poem," he smiles and motions me over to him at the microphone. I walk over begrudgingly and accept my award. The little crowd at City Hall applauds. I walk back to stand beside the two geeks with their Masters in English.

My mom takes out a Kleenex and wipes away some tears.

What is she Dooo-ing??? How could she cry in public where everyone can see her and totally embarrass me even more?!?! I can't believe she is doing this to me!!!

They take a few more photos. I try not to show my teeth when I smile because I'm suppose to get braces soon; after the New Kids on the Block concert -- and I don't want Joey McIntyre to see my crooked teeth in the stupid photo.

I look to the fat girl beside me. She looks back at me. I ask her what her poem was about. She shows it to me. She had brought it to the ceremony. She's such a geek. It's held in one of those plastic folders. I read the first two sentences....boring! No wonder she didn't win.

I guess that Masters in English isn't really helping either of them... but if it makes them feel any better, I don't want to be here as much as they don't want me here.

"Smile!" says another camera man. I think this photo is for the people at City Hall. The man that gave us the awards is standing beside us now. I look up; place my award in front of my chest like they asked me to, and try my best not to show my teeth in case Joey McIntyre does see this photo when he comes to town.