โPOETRY SUCKS!โ
The shout finally bursts out of me as I grab my paper and try to dramatically slam it down. It generally flutters to the ground, so I groan, pick it back up, and rip it into shreds of failed poetry.
โZeke,โ Samara sighs, โpoetry does not suck.โ
โDoes so!โ
โDoes not!โ She huffs.
We exchange arguments for a couple momentsโbecause my best friend and I are just so mature at fourteen years old.ย
โPoetry sucks,โ I repeat, โand you canโt change my mind on that.โ
โPoetry is an amazing art of expressing your emotions. Why do you hate it?โ
โItโs hard.โ
โItโs not.โ
โMaybe not for you, with your whole nature-inspired artist thing going on, but for me, a guy who only excels at sports, it is!โ
Awkward silence fills the room as my words hang in the air.
โZeke,โ Samara says slowly, โyouโve gotta work with me here.โ
I sigh but eventually give in. Poetry lessons with my closest friend are better than ones with dozens of trainers, all trying to force their knowledge of a subject into my head.
I suppose I should tell you who I am.
Well, hi! My name is Zeke Jackson, and Iโm the teen son of Kira Jackson, the head of the wildly successful business empire.
My rich parents expect me to have a talent. Not any talent, though. A creative talent.
ย My parents are successful and happy with their jobs, but they think that the arts are better for people as people. They want me to suddenly be amazing at things like art and music. Writing. Even acting.
Sadly for them, my only area of strength is basketball, and you donโt exactly pour your heart out while shooting baskets.
Anyways, my parents are constantly hiring tutors to teach me those things.
It's safe to assume every single one of them fail.
So here I am, in my bedroom on a Saturday, with this โnew approachโโlearning creative arts from my creative best friend.
โWhat do you want me to do?โ I say wearily.
Samara grins. โFree verse!โ
I dramatically flop on my bed. โI donโt know what the heck just came out of your mouth, but Iโm so sick of being clueless Iโm not even going to ask.โย
Samara rolls her eyes and grabs my arm. She hauls me back to the table standing in the middle of the room, covered in pencils and paper.ย
โHey!โ I complain as my friend stuffs a piece of lined paper and a pen into my arms.ย
โToo bad,โ she says smugly. โNow. Write whatever comes to mind. This isnโt even real free verseโjust jot down the string of thoughts youโre thinking right now.โ
I take a deep breath and start to write.
Normally, when Iโm being taught by just another tutor, Iโd write, I donโt care I donโt care I donโt care. But I had one week left with Samara to show my mother I was making progress with my friend as my teacher, so I needed to try.
โIโm done!โ I holler, jumping up from my chair and handing the paper to Samara. Her green eyes glint from behind her curly gold hair as she takes the page from me. I hold my breath as her eyes dart across the page.
She smiled. โNice, Zeke! Now that your creative juices are flowing, it's time for actual poetry.โ
I groan as Samara starts pacing in front of me. โFor now, just write a quick poem about anything. It can rhyme, or it can not. It can be super emotional, or it can be cheerful. Whatever you want. You decide! You have five minutes, so ready, set, GO!โ
I grab another sheet of paper and start to scrawl down:
แดสแดแดsแด:
cะฝeeัeโwะฝeษด yoฯ ัฮฑฤธe ฮฑ pฮนcัฯ re, ฮนัโั ัoะผeัะฝฮนษดษข yoฯ ัฮฑy
cะฝeeัeโwะฝeษด yoฯ โre ะฝฯ ษดษขry, ัoะผeัะฝฮนษดษข yoฯ eฮฑั
I pause for a moment as I watch the timer on Samaraโs watch slowly shed time. What should I write next?
Thereโs barely 30 seconds left, so I quickly scribble,ย
cะฝeeัeโฮน lฮนฤธe ัo plฮฑyย
cะฝeeัeโplฮฑyฮนษดษข cฮฑษดโั ะฒe ะฒeฮฑั!
I cringe as the timer goes off. My eyes fall to the ground as I place my โpoemโ in Samaraโs hands.
โItโsโฆโ she hesitates for the right word. โInteresting.โ
โI know itโs bad. Just tell me how it can get better, please.โ
Samara inhales slowly then lets the air out the corner of her mouth. โWell, your topic was a bit iffy. I like how you formatted it, and the first part was clever, but then you suddenly switch topics to playingโwhile still starting it with โcheeseโ. No offense, though.โ
I smile at her. โYou canโt be offended for something you already know: that you suck at poetry. I mean, I do.โ
โYou donโt suck,โ Samara punches my shoulder, โyou just havenโt mastered it.โ
โIโm never going to master it,โ I say.
โYes you will!โ
โYeah, no,โ I laugh. โI mean, Iโll still try, but itโs a losing battle.โ
โPoetry isnโt a battle,โ Samara smirks, โand youโd win, anyway.โ Her face lights up. โOoh, I have an idea. Iโm going to take you to what I call theโฆPoetry Place.โ
โThis is it?โ
She frowns at me. โWhaddya mean?โ
โI donโt know. I was expecting something moreโฆsomething.โ
My artistic friend had led me to the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. A single metal bench was installed dangerously close to the edge.
โThis place is amazing,โ Samara says, โespecially for writing poetry. Cโmon.โ
She trots to the bench and I cautiously follow her. We both plop down and gaze at the waves in their calming pattern: in, out. In, out.
We sit there for what seems like hours, the salty wind pressing against my face. The sun starts to set, letting the sky on fire with hues of red and pink and yellow.
ย Without taking her eyes off the sun meeting the horizon, Samara says softly, โMany think poetry is cheesy. To them, it is. Cheesy is the word people use to mask their fear of raw emotionsโwhat poetry is often about.โ
I hear her take a deep breath. โPoetry is the heart of the matter, what you really think and feel. You canโt fake it. Itโs a form of self expression anybody can do, but itโs tricky to do it well.โ
She stands up and walks closer to the edge of the cliff. โYou have to capture your ideas, your emotions, your thoughts and your dreams in words as best as you can. That way, others can truly step into your shoes.โ
We watch the sun dip below the horizon, the only sound the win whistling in our ears. Samara eventually checks her watch. โItโs seven-oh-clock. You've got to be back home by ten, right?โ
โYep,โ I say.
โHere.โ She hands me more lined paper and a pencil. โWrite any sort of poem. This isnโt a poem to shareโitโs a poem for you to have for yourself.โ
โAre you going to write a poem, too?โ
She grins. โYou bet I am.โ
So we get to work. Almost an hour later, Iโve filled the whole sheet of paper with fragments of myself. Thereโs a trace of a smile on my lips when my friend finally stands up, stretches, and turns to me. โDid you finish?โ
โYeah,โ I smile, โand Iโm pretty proud.โ
โGood,โ she grins. โDonโt show anyone. Hey, do you want to see mine?โ
โI know itโs going to be super deep and poetic and make me feel bad about mine,โ I say as I raise an eyebrow, โbut sure. Hand it over.โ
Samara tossed me her neatly folded paper then flashes me a smile as she starts to jog off. โMeet me at the boardwalk in ten minutes!โ
I wave and unfold her poem. Etched on the paper, in Samaraโs beautiful handwriting, was her poem:
๐ฏ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐พ๐๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐๐,ย ย
๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐ธ๐๐ถ๐๐ฝ ๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐ย ย ย
๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐ท๐๐ถ๐ธ๐ฝ,ย ย
๐ท๐๐ ๐ผโ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐พ๐๐ ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ย ย ย
๐ผโ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐พ๐๐ ๐ป๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐๐,ย ย
๐ผโ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐พ๐๐ ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฝย ย
๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ถ๐โ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐๐พ๐๐?ย ย
๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐๐โ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฝ?ย ย ย
๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐น๐๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐พ๐๐น ๐ท๐๐๐?ย ย
๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐น๐๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐๐ป๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐พ๐?ย ย
๐ฎ๐พ๐๐ธ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐๐,ย ย
๐พ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐?ย ย ย
๐๐พ๐๐๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐ป ๐๐๐๐๐๐พ๐๐๐,ย ย
๐ถ๐๐น ๐ท๐พ๐๐๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ย ย
๐ฏ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐น ๐พ๐ ๐ธ๐๐๐พ๐๐๐,ย ย
ย ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐น๐๐๐.
โDid you like my poem?โ Samara asks as I jog towards her.
โYeah,โ I pant. โHoldโฆon. Let me catch my breath.โ
A moment later, I add, โYour poem was great. I mean, I hardly understood half of it, but it was very poetic.โ
โGee, Zeke, thanks,โ Samara says wryly.
โAre poetry lessons over for today?โ
โYep,โ Samara says. โI am no longer your teacher, Iโm your best friend!โ
โNice,โ I grin. โSince weโre done with poetry, do you want to go shoot some hoops at the park?โ
She returns my smile. โYou bet.โ
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175 comments
I discovered the name Samara a couple days ago, and now Iโm obsessed with it. Does anybody else like it as much as I do? Hehe...
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Yep... Samara is a beautiful name๐
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Hehe yeah
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Samara is actually a plant too and it is of Arabic origin and its meaning is guardian or protected by God.๐๐
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Cool ๐๐๐๐
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What language/place is the name from? because I think one of the tribes in my country have people with that name ( i say i think because I'm not sure which, they're just too many...)
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Hmm, I donโt know. Iโm pretty sure itโs Hebrew (I swear, there are sooooo many Hebrew names) but it might not be.
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Probably. I think so too. Now that i think about it, she might well just be bearing a Hebrew name, it isn't unpopular...
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Great story as always Aerin! I was actually going to write a story for this prompt about someone learning to write as well! However, it isn't going to be poetry, just plain old writing. We'll see if I even get to it this week. ANYWAY back to your story... The poem is so well written and hope you write more poetry on Reedsy. Your dialogue also flows really well and it has an interesting backstory. Congrats on making the top ten! Hope you write more this week. ~Amany
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Thanks! I hope you DO write a story! Learning to write will be interesting to read. Thank you so much!!! I normally donโt do poetry so Iโm glad it turned out okay. I enjoy writing poetry, but I never know what to write ABOUT. Thank youuuu! Celeste just upvoted me a ton (THANK YOU!) so YAY! You're in 11th, though, so youโll be top ten super-soon! (Hopefully when Iโm in 9th so I donโt get kicked off the board LOL) Thanks again! ~Aerin
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No problem! Yeah, I mean like story writing, it's not going to be like a toddler. Yeah, lol. I guess we maybe just need to kick someone else off **evil laugh** No prob!
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Sorry, thatโs what I meant. Story writing. Although it WOULD be funny to read about a little kid learning to write...yeah I have a weird sense of humor. Hehe, yeah. *cackle* ~A
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Hehe :)
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Hey, for today's riddle, don't airplanes have 4 wheels? I'll keep thinking for a better answer...
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TECHNICALLY that works, but Iโm looking for something else. Think about the different meanings of the words in the riddle. Keep guessing!
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Hey sis! Finally got to reading this and Its a another good one! As always, very creative. I like the humor in this: "Sadly for them, my only area of strength is basketball, and you donโt exactly pour your heart out while shooting baskets." ๐๐๐10/10 fun and fresh sis. The poem samara wrote is beautiful. I especially like this part: ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐น๐๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ ๐๐พ๐๐น ๐ท๐๐๐? ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐น๐๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐๐๐ป๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐พ๐? ๐ฎ๐พ๐๐ธ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฝ๐พ๐๐ ๐พ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐๐, ๐พ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฝ๐๐๐? There's something so deep and pretentious about it (the good kind!)
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Haha, thanks so much, Celeste! Iโm glad you liked that clip of the the poem. Hehe, thanks!
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๐
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๐
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Just wondering- is this title purposely the same as Lord Cassius's book in KotLC or accidentally?
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Ohhhhh lol I didnโt even notice that until now! Yea, that was an accident, but thanks for reminding me ๐
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Yes, now that I thinlk about it Samara is a really cool and unique name! I liked this story! It was great and the poetry was really beautiful, I really enjoyed it. The friendship between the charactes was also amazing.
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Thank you! I wrote this story when I first dicoveree the name, and now itโs my pen name everywhere but here. Coincidentally, Samara in this story writes poetry, and Samara is now my name on a poetry website. Hmmm Thanks so much for stopping by!
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aerin, congrats on 3000 karma points!! ๐คฏ๐ฅณ๐im so jealous๐
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Hehe, thanks! Couldnโt do it without you ๐
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This story was amazing as always! The way that you incorporated poetry into simple writing was mind-blowing for me. I have never been able to write poetry very well. I would love to read more of yours. Also, your characters were very believable and realistic. Outstanding job! -Brooke
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Thanks so much, Brooke! ๐๐๐
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Hey, Aerin! Just to let you know, I took your would-you-rather quiz, and I entered myself as "Brooke". I was going to do my Reedsy name, but I didn't. That doesn't matter. I gave it a ten-star rating! It was awesome!
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Thank you!!! Iโm gonna go check out your answers ;)
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You're welcome! ๐๐
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Answer to your riddle--> A hose?
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REEEEEEEALLY CLOSE! But sorry, no. You're getting there, though! Keep guessinโ!
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AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!
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Wait, A FENCE! Am I right, am I right, am I right?!?
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YES YOU AAAAAARE *Iโm very enthusiastic*
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YES! I AAAAMMMM RIIGGHHTT! Lol๐คฃ
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Also, I just noticed... CONGRATULATIONS ON COMING INTO THE TOP TEN! ๐๐๐๐๐๐
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Yay, thanks for noticing! Iโm super excited. Thank you Celeste and Amany for upvoting me a ton (last night we all upvoted one another)!
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hehe ur welcome
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๐
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I really like how the story unfolded. You got the main essence of making the starting line highly interesting. Keep writing ๐๐
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Thanks a ton!
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Plus... Answer to your riddle! A fence runs around the yard, right?
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Yep! ๐๐๐
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My heart ๐ shooketh on reading. It was great! Especially the last line. It was quite a marvelous way to end the story.
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Thank you so much!!!
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that's really good story ! Please read my story and comment on it
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Sure!
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Good stuff as always! ๐๐ฝ The part where they sit down on the cliff she explains to him what poetry really is was so touching, I loved it. ๐ And I think you should incorporate more poems into your stories because itโs definitely your strong point! That was a super cute addition at the end there. Keep writing! ๐
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Thank you so much! Haha, really? Iโm just glad the poem didnโt turn out awful. I like writing poetry, but I never know what to write abouuuuut. But maybe Iโll try. Thanks again! ๐๐๐ ~A
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Yes, really! ๐ I remember you did a similar thing in your story about the star, and that was a really fun read. Putting poems in your stories could be your own unique signature if you ask me ๐
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๐คฉ๐คฉ๐คฉ
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Nice story, Aerin๐ Keep writing & stay safe:) -D (P.S. Congrats on moving to #9 on leaderboard๐)
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Thank youuu!
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I love this story, It makes me feel good, It makes me feel happy, Just like it should. The writing is great, The poetry too, I couldn't do it, Unless I were like you. Roses are red, Violets are blue, This poem is ending now, It's rubbish... YES THAT'S TRUE. That's my own poem especially for you! Hope you enjoyed my rubbish attempt at poetry. ๐
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HAHAHA I LOVE UR POETRY THANK U FOR THE SWEET COMMENT
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This story gave me serious deja vu... I was better at writing than sports, and had a lot of conflict over it. Thank you for this one...
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Thanks so much!
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Beautiful work on another beautiful story. I love poetry. And Samara is right about everything she said about poetry. As a poet, FINALLY someone isn't polar wrong about one if the most beautiful forms of literature. Do you do poetry yourself? My favorite part is: โI donโt know what the heck just came out of your mouth, but Iโm so sick of being clueless Iโm not even going to ask.โ ๐๐๐คฃ I RARELY, if not NEVER laugh out loud reading stories on Reedsy. You are the first. I am gonna start using that!! I think the only minor problem is the...
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Thank you so much! Actually, I donโt โdoโ poetry, but I sometimes write some for stories. Haha, Iโm glad that made you laugh! Ah, okay. Actually, itโs grammatically correct, but itโs helpful to know itโs still awkward to read. Thanks again!
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Your most welcome. You're a very good poet!!
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