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I couldn't say muffin, I couldn't say butter If I ordered a burger, I'd stumble and stutter So, instead of me saying the words that I should I'd swop them for others, I hoped that I could

But you can't always leave out the words that you dread There are times when a certain thing has to be said My sister's called Sarah, my best friend is Ben They just wouldn't answer to Lucy and Len

Whenever I spotted a difficult sound I'd hastily juggle my sentence around I spent so much energy word re-arranging Whenever I spoke, I was chopping and changing

My efforts to search for an easier word Resulted in sentences, sometimes absurd At times, my selections just didn't make sense Which made me more anxious, frustrated and tense

Each time I avoided a troublesome sound I felt rather guilty, and very soon found That my fear of speaking increased even more The number of 'problem words' started to soar

I quickly discovered that word substitution Was simply avoidance, and not a solution Although I was fluent, or so it appeared The words I avoided became much more feared

One day, I decided, enough was enough I made myself promise, (although it was tough) To say what I wanted, whatever the letter At times, I still struggled, but I felt so much better

Today, I will say any letter or sound Confronting my fears is the best way - I've found Should I ever be tempted to waver sometime I'll remember the message contained in this rhyme.

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