I have a lion in me!
But it’s not a lion I can see.
It starts in my stomach first,
it feels like I might burst!
When the lion starts to growl,
I want to give the biggest howl.
My fists start to clench and knot,
and my face gets really hot!
My body starts to tighten and tense,
and I lose all my common sense.
My heart starts to beat really fast,
I never know how long it will last.
When the lion takes over my mind,
I see red and am no longer kind.
I want to scratch things with my claws,
I want to tear things with my jaws.
I wish I knew the lion’s name,
so I could grab it by its mane.
The lion can get so very wild,
acting like the meanest child!
I know when the lion rears its head:
when my family wants me out of bed.
Another time the lion gets in a huff?
If someone tries to take my stuff!
I think I know the lion’s name,
it’s ANGER that I have to tame.
When ANGER starts to growl and rage,
I try to breathe and say, “behave!”
When I feel ANGER start to roar,
I take a deep breath and count to four.
ANGER can calm down that way,
getting tamer every day.
Some other tricks when ANGER shows its face:
I read my favorite book in a special place,
or speak to an adult or take a walk,
which can make it easier to talk.
If I notice ANGER starting to attack,
I stop, I breathe, and it shrinks back.
ANGER just passes right through me.
I can tame it by naming it, and I feel free.
Copyright © 2019 by Andrew Jordan Nance. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.