Guernsey Press

Read this amazing backwards poem by a dyslexic 10-year-old school child

The verse struck a chord on Twitter, where it has been liked more than 100,000 times after being shared by the pupil’s teacher.

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A poem written by a 10-year-old has warmed hearts online for its poignant double meaning and insight into the treatment of people with dyslexia.

Teacher Jane Broadis shared the verse, known as a palindrome for having different interpretations depending on which way it is read, on Twitter on Wednesday night and it has been liked more than 100,000 times since.

Sharing a picture of the poem, she wrote: “Today in Y6 we looked at poems that could be read forwards & backwards. I was stunned by this one written by one of my 10 year olds.

“Please share – I would love her work to be appreciated further afield. I wonder if it could even find a publisher?”

The poem reads:

“I am stupid.
Nobody should ever say
I have a talent for words

“I was meant to be great.
That is wrong
I am a failure

“Nobody could ever convince me to think that
I can make it in life.”

While the poem may seem full of self-doubt and hardship on a first read, it is a rallying cry of hope and confidence read in reverse.

Hundreds of people responded on Twitter to praise the work.

“It has already been published. It has earned a readership and utter respect, in one splendid tweet. Huge achievement,” wrote one user.

Some enjoyed how much the words meant for those who are dyslexic themselves.

“As someone with dyslexia and then having to fight for my daughter’s diagnosis, I love this poem,” wrote one tweeter.

Others praised Ms Broadis’s achievements as a teacher.

“That’s brilliant. You sound like a great teacher too. The encouragement and confidence you give her now, she will remember for the rest of her life,” wrote another Twitter user.

Ms Broadis and the school have not responded to requests for comment.

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