I’m six
I’m going to be on Skipper Chuck
I’ve won a contest
second
a girl won first

I see two bikes
a pink and a blue
I’m so excited
I think I’ve won
that bike

this is the best day
of my life

I’m with my
grandmother
she squeezes
my hand

I have to go
up on stage
in front of
all the other kids

that fills me
with terror

they laugh and point

I can’t stop thinking
about the bike

I’m standing on the stage
afraid

I wave
I’m wearing
a little Styrofoam hat
like a Mayor’s hat

my short pants
don’t fit right

the first place girl
has won the bike

I win
a wardrobe from Sears

I want
to die

I wish I had never won

second
is the worst place of all

you have to go
up on stage
and you don’t
get a bike

this is the worst day
of my life

I hope
no one else
ever wins
second

Glen Alan Mitchell is a contemporary gay artist. He lives in Miami with his husband and four dachshunds. His creative works include poetry, photography, drawing, and painting. Mitchell’s works reflect the artist’s personal vision of self-discovery, desires, loves, and life experiences.