The Devil & My Sole

In the last quarter of 2012, Antigua Toastmasters was formed, and even though I had attended every meeting since the very first meeting, I joined in January 2013. I wouldn't say I was ecstatic about the Tall Tale Competition when it was first announced, I would say it was expected of me as I was a poet with a leaning towards story telling. But as the date came closer, I became excited.

The competition started out with eight participants that had wheedled down to five because three dropped out. And although I knew about it months in advance, it was only within the last month that this tale came into being. It started with just a little idea that grew and grew, but I never wrote it out. I repeated it in my mind over and over. When I noticed I forgot a sentence, I would work hard to remember it, the next time I recited it.

As for the southern accent and references to Louisiana, well, I have a strange connection to that part of the world. Maybe because I watched so much episodes of Designing Women, maybe I've read so much about that part of the world. The truth is I have never stepped foot in Louisiana, which adds to this tale being a tall tale.

The performance was a result of many practice sessions, some of which were when I was making my bed. I'm not angry about it, could I improve on it, yes, but I'm not mad at it. As a result of it, I won the Tall Tale Competition. The funny thing is a few of the audience thought I would fall out of character, but the truth is I've always been good with accents. Sometimes my everyday speech would be peppered with accents.

Special Thanks goes out to my sister for taping and uploading this YouTube clip.

OXOX
Kimolisa