Poetry In Motion
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Post by Otomo Kojiro on Dec 27, 2010 20:41:57 GMT -6
"In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes..." Koji recited as he flicked through a poetry book in the local library. He lived across town, but his adventure today was worth the effort. He had discussed romance briefly with Kono-san, but was directed to her youngest sister, Ryoko, who in turn directed him to the library to hunt down poetry. He had her on good faith that poetry would win a girl's heart. Koji had his sights set on the elder of the Fujibayashi twins, and was determined to make her happy.
Browsing the poetry section, he had picked up one of Shakespear's works, and was reciting his famous sonnet. He was hushed by the librarian who overhead him talking a fraction too loud. Lowering the tone of his voice, his eyes scanned the page.
"For they in thee a thousand errors note."
No, no. That's no good. That sounds insulting. I want to compliment her. Not tell her I think she has a thousand flaws.
Koji skimmed across the rest of it, ending up at the end. Frustrated, he glued his eyes to the shelves, and began to look for another. His search seemed fruitless, finding nothing but tales of death, and depressing drabbles. He groaned, and slumped down onto a chair, placing the Shakespear book on the table in front of him.
"This is hopeless..." Koji sighed, planting his face against the hard wood of the table.
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maidenofsilence Guest
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Post by maidenofsilence on Dec 27, 2010 21:18:34 GMT -6
Three days since the hours on a train that had slowly pulled on through the countryside to a smaller city than Kazunari had ever lived in. He was still exhausted. Still, when he’d been told of a local library, he couldn’t resist jumping up immediately, grabbing a composition book and a pack of mechanical pencils he’d retrieved from a convenience store the day before. He quickly got directions, got lost, got more directions, and finally ended up at the door to the public library. He grinned and pushed through the glass doors. The security officer matched his smile and nodded to him. He muttered something after Amami had passed along the lines of ‘Great, the rebels are here now too.’ Either that was a gaming term that had been thrown out into thin air for no reason, or he’d been commenting on Kazunari’s hair. He was naturally blonde; it hadn’t been dyed that way! He often considered dying it brown just to fit in a bit more. He sat down before the third isle of the poetry section and couldn’t stop the smile that rested again on his lips. He grabbed an anthology of Edgar Allen Poe and settled down in a comfortable armchair at the end of the isle. He noted with a sigh the smell of binding glue and paper and found that the dizziness and headache from before had died down a bit. "For they in thee a thousand errors note." The words cut through the comfortable silence the blonde had been enjoying. He looked over, through a shelf of books and saw a dark haired boy drop his head onto a table in defeat. Kazunari closed his book and gathering his things went around the shelf to the boy, hugging his books to his chest. Blinking large green eyes, he turned his head to the side and asked from behind him a simple question. “What’s wrong?”
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Post by Otomo Kojiro on Dec 27, 2010 21:33:47 GMT -6
Koji let out anothe groan, with his face buried in his hands.
"I'm trying to find some poetry for this girl that I lo-" Koji said, stopping mid-sentence. He knew what he was about to say. Love. Was that a slip of the tongue, or was it what he intended on saying?
"I really like her. I've never been able to put it into simple words." He said, correcting himself as he rose his head. He held up the Shakespear book.
"My friend, Kono-san, her sister said that poetry was a good way to express your feelings about a girl, but this stuff is so... So... Bleak. It's good and all, but it's just too depressing. I've been in her sister's class since junior year, so I see her quite a lot. I don't think we've ever really spoken. I always thought that she was dating Okazaki-san... But now I'm not so sure. Especially after he started spending time with Furukawa-san in the other class." He explained, giving this stranger a speil about his predicament. A simple explaination would have sufficed, but seldom were the affairs of the heart simple.
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maidenofsilence Guest
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Post by maidenofsilence on Dec 28, 2010 12:18:32 GMT -6
Blinking again, Kazunari listened, trying to comprehend. Poetry. This guy wanted to give a poem to a girl he liked to tell her how he felt. He giggled with a grin plain on his face. He’d given up trying to hide facial expressions from the people around him years ago when he figured out that he was terrible at lying. “That’s entirely … adorable! I could help you find something if you don’t mind me taking some of your work load. For that matter… I’ve got a thing for writing poetry and I could either write something for you or teach you how.” He examined the Shakespeare book that was waved in front of him momentarily. His eyes sparkled and he sat down beside the dark haired boy. Turning to a blank page in his composition book, Kazunari wrote a string of letters. A. B. A. B. C. D. C. D. E. F. E. F. G. G. “That’s the rhyming scheme for a Shakespearean Sonnet,” the blonde explained, “A Shakespearean Sonnet has fourteen lines and is written and read in iambic pentameter. Which basically means that it’s written with ten syllables in each line and you stress every other syllable when reading. Still, oftentimes they aren’t written in entirely proper iambic pentameter and instead only use the ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme.” Kazunari adored sonnets; and he wrote them constantly. He preferred Shakespearean Sonnets to Italian Sonnets, but sometimes wrote the latter. He gently took the book and carefully flipped through it. The smell of paper calmed his headache further as it so often did and his smile relaxed comfortably as he read a few poems that he skimmed to. Words were his castle, and in them he always felt like he was king.
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Post by Otomo Kojiro on Dec 28, 2010 14:25:02 GMT -6
Koji was surprised. It was not every day one met a poetic stranger who so readily offered help to another stranger.
"You certainly have a knack for the poetic arts. I'd gladly appreciate your help. I've been at wits end for over an hour." Koji said with a small smile, reaching into his pocket and producing a pen. He was placing faith in trusting Rumi, and now with this stranger, whom Koji believed could honestly help him. He knew Kyou had an aggressive streak. He hoped she would take him seriously, rather than show him the spine of a dictionary up-close. He shuddered at the thought of rejection as he tore a scrap of paper out of a small notebook.
"Where should I start? I want to write something that doesn't sound cliched, or something that would depress or bore her. I'd like it to make her feel happy when she reads it." Koji explained, giving his new poetic mentor a determined look. Rumi had spurred him on to act on his feelings before it was too late. He would not be in high school forever, and there was a very real chance he would never see either of the Fujibayashi twins again. Rumi had threatened to stop teaching him how to play the guitar if he didn't take action. He had quite a lot to lose if he sat back and did nothing.
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maidenofsilence Guest
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Post by maidenofsilence on Dec 28, 2010 15:58:16 GMT -6
Amami nodded and thought for a moment, watching his newfound student produce a piece of paper and a pen. “Firstly, when you write you generally want to do two drafts; a sloppy copy and a final,” the blonde began, “You want to write a sonnet, right? I suggest you do what Shakespeare did.” He flipped through the book to Shakespeare’s one hundred and third sonnet, and recited. “ My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damask'd, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground: And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare. “See, it’s simple; this sonnet begins in the realization that this lady he loves is not perfect, but ends with something that still lets her know he loves her for who she is. Shakespeare often does this; he begins with one line of thought but takes a different standing point in the final two lines. This gives the poem a sense reality, and often conveys feeling better. You’ll also want to decide whether you want to give her a poem written in correct iambic pentameter which will give you the advantage of easy flow but is more difficult and whether you want to write it with more modern language or if you want to do it with more of a formal old English feel. If the girl’s a big fantasy reader or bookworm in general she’ll enjoy the formal type of writing but if she’s more rough around the edges or just the less academic type I suggest you give her a modern sonnet or poem—preferably one with an overarching metaphor.” Kazunari yawned, and took the dark haired boy’s paper for a moment, writing the rhyming scheme in a down the margin so a line could be written beside each letter. He pushed the scrap of paper back. “Oh! By the way, my name’s Amami Kazunari. If you know the third year, Tanaka Ataru, he’s my cousin; he goes to the local high school. Though I suppose he’s my cousin even if you don’t know him,” the blonde stated simply, nodding toward him.
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Post by Otomo Kojiro on Dec 28, 2010 21:02:57 GMT -6
"I'm Otomo Kojiro, Koji for short. I can't say I've heard of your cousin, but I'm sure you cousin has heard of the person I'm trying to master poetry for." Koji began, scribbling down key words to begin his epic sonnet.
"Kyou is... Violent at times. She's a strong speaker, level-headed, from what I've know. She seems to consider her sister's happiness before her own, so I know she's rather selfless. Underneath that tough exterior she seems to throw up, she's actually very nice to people. I can't help but like her. I barely give thought to what makes my brother happy."
Koji drummed his pen against his chin, thinking wistfully as to why he had delayed until now to take action. Granted, the school years had matured him, humbled him a little bit more, but those years could have been spent with Kyou, whilst they still had the responsibilities of simple students. Soon, they would have to consider college, careers, possible families down the line.
If he did end up sweeping the elder Fujibayashi off her feet, would the responsibilities serve to pull them apart? Shaking his head, Koji decided over-analyzing it would do him no good. He hadn't even started the prize poem that would win Kyou's heart and already he was panicking about strains on a non-existant relationship. Though beyond his observations, he didn't know a great deal about Kyou outside of school. The only things he had to go by were the precious slivers of information her twin sister had mentioned during their conversation in the park. He could always ask Ryou to tell his fortune, and see if the cards favoured his chances. He would need to begin and finish the poem before the next day of school. Once again he chimed in with his thoughts as he brainstormed.
"I think I'm afraid of upsetting Kyou, or insulting her. This... Does it have to be perfect? Can I really have a margin for error? If I point out that I like her flaws too, would that confuse her? I guess I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. Hmm..."
Koji scratched his head, began writing, and cleared his throat, in the space of less than five minutes. He muttered away to himself as he recited.
"Kyou, my dearest... No, that doesn't work... My love... I'll stick with that for now. My love, I have tried with all my being, to grasp a form comparable to your own. Does that sound good for a beginning?"
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Post by Mizukami Ayumu on Dec 31, 2010 1:41:01 GMT -6
"Sonnets?" he said, in a hushed voice.
He had been feeling a bit inquisitive, and besides, these two people were a little louder than most; he had found the librarian's agonized and angered glares at the pair most enjoyable to watch. Besides, one of the people looked familiar... he wondered if he had seen them in school... and so, in a rare whim, he had budged in their predicament. To the taciturn Ayumu, it felt like a bit of an adventure, though it had yet to equal his often-so-short encounters with Furukawa-senpai.
In truth, he did not really have much to say about sonnets, even though he did a bunch of poetry when he felt like it in his spare time... and sometimes in times that weren't exactly free. He had caught a few words from the horse's mouth. Fujibayashi Kyou-senpai, huh... He wondered how one was supposed to help another person trying to weave a poem, because his endeavors into poetry were often a little too personal, and he could only wonder how this guy felt. He would usually start with an idea...
"Oh." he said, realizing something. "I haven't introduced myself yet. Mizukami Ayumu." He really was new in this talking-to-strangers-voluntarily thing. Besides, he didn't stumble into a bunch of people in the local neighborhood talking about poems everyday, so this was good enough for an exception. He tried to smile reassuringly.
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Post by Otomo Kojiro on Jan 1, 2011 18:20:58 GMT -6
"Oh. Nice to meet you Mizukami-san. I think I recall seeing you with Furukawa-san in 3-B, but i don't think we've ever met in person. I don't think I've ever even spoken much to Furukawa-san." Koji explained, he was starting to get the hang of this poetry thing, but was still far from fully expressing his feelings in poetic form.
It seemed to be going well regardless. He had the first three lines written down, but had hit a wall. He just prayed that Kyou would not laugh him off as some sappy, loves struck idiot trying to charm her with poetry. For Koji however, simple words didn't seem to cut it, and Rumi had suggested poetry as his means. He would need to leave a note so he and Kyou would be alone, no-one else around to see or hear if Kyou knocked him back. He would also have to leave the note for her to read in that case. He held up the paper.
"Okay. Tell me what you both think... I have tried, with all my being to grasp a form comparable to thine own, but nothing seems worthy. I know now, why Shakespear could not compare his love to a summer's day..." Koji recited, returning the paper to the table. He looked up with sheepish expression on his face.
"That's all I have so far. I don't really know how I can continue."
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maidenofsilence Guest
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Post by maidenofsilence on Jan 2, 2011 13:44:20 GMT -6
Amami listened to Kojiro’s poem with scrunched eyebrows. He wasn’t so sure if he knew where it was going, so made no comment. Instead, he examined Kojiro. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Almost entirely normal. The blonde sighed, wistfully thinking of dying his hair dark. He started and almost spun when Ayumu simple asked, “Sonnets?” Amami started feeling less jumpy when the newcomer introduced himself. “I’m Amami Kazunari,” he responded, after Kojiro was done introducing himself, “I’ll be transferring into the first year at the high school once my papers are sorted out.” He looked away from Ayumu when Kojiro began to read his poem. He nodded slowly. “It’s good, very well… centered. Fourteen lines of that and you’ll have almost anyone hanging on your words. You should write poetry more often. To continue, all you must do is think of your premise for the poem, your circumstances, and your target. It generally just flows from there. Hey, when does the library close?” He’d been looking at his watch, which told him it was almost six, twenty minutes ‘til. He pressed a calming hand against his forehead and felt the fingers of a fever lingering there, but this wasn’t anything new so he ignored it as he usually did.
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Post by Otomo Kojiro on Jan 3, 2011 20:33:30 GMT -6
Koji lifted his head and scanned around for a mounted clock. None. Odd for a library. Perhaps it was elsewhere. He'd been in the library a few hours, and estimated at the very least, he had ten minutes before it closed.
"Six on the button I believe," Koji answered, trying to remember. It was only his third time in the libray, and he had to be certain. "I think there's still time for me to finish this regardless. I can always take it home with me and finish it there after kickboxing."
Koji scribbled away at his scrap of paper furiously. He was now in the zone. A few times he perked his head up and stared into space thoughtfully before returning to craft his poetic opus. Less than an hour ago, he was at a dead end. Now, thanks to Amami and Ayumu, he was sailing on with his poem. He was positive it would be successful. All he would need to do, is rewrite the sloppy, haphazard handwriting into a neat version, and leave it. However, one last thing remained. Taking out yet another piece of paper and carefully wrote down a letter, which would be placed inside Kyou's shoelocker the next school day. Placing the two pieces of paper into his pocket, and returning his notebook from whence it came he stood up.
"I want to thank the both of you for your help. If you both happen to catch me at lunchtime, I owe you both a snack, and you're welcome to come by and watch my brother's band play," he said, with a small bow, "I'd really like to stay and chat, but I'll be late for kickboxing if I don't hurry home and get ready."
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