Loved Like Her

"I had kind of got the idea that there's not going to be some fabulous perfect soulmate out there for me, so I'll just make him up."
- Audrey Niffeneger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife

 

At one time or another, haven't we all felt like Audrey? Aching to find true love and (sometimes impatiently or manically) waiting for it to come. As a writer, Audrey reached into the imagination of her heart and created the love she desired. Many of us have benefited from her efforts, as well as the romantic works of others like her. While I devotedly remain hopeful that mine is out there and appearing in due time, it is nice (and comforting) to have literary loves in the interim.

I for one not only enjoy the "vicarious living" distraction, but by reading these stories I also understand more clearly what it is to love someone. Love isn't just a feeling, it's an action. It's dwelling in a state of being that is selflessly dependent on another. 

If I can give one word of advice to the male species out there, it is this :
DO NOT overlook the lessons behind these stories. Instead of making fun of them, study them. Read them, watch them. They hold the secrets as to how to love a woman and make her happy. Why do you think we all obsess, devour, pine over the fictional male characters in these novels? It isn't because of the way they look, but about the way they love. Women long for that sense of loyalty, protection, and devotion from a man. They yearn to be seen as idealistic, not threatened by wayward compromises, and worth all the work it takes to be with someone.

Unlike the others, this work of novetry isn't tied to just one story. It's inspired by a grouping of my favorite novels that contain epic love stories. Each line (well lines 1-8) is a summary/reflection of the love that the man has for his one-and-only lady.
Line 1 - Henry in The Time Traveler's Wife
Line 2 - Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights
Line 3 - Ian in The Host

Line 4 - Peeta in The Hunger Games Trilogy

Line 5 - Landon in A Walk to Remember

Line 6 - Noah in The Notebook

Line 7 - Edward in The Twilight Saga

Line 8 - Dr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice

And the final lines (9 and 10) are a summary/reflection of a woman's heart and how it feels each time she encounters a love of this magnitude. A love that I believe in my heart of hearts IS possible. Truthfully, I am tired of being told it isn't. To everyone who says "Don't get your hopes up and live in a fairytale, love isn't like the storybooks," I fiercely challenge that with "well, why not?!" I say if we can dream it, we can create it. And to the argument that it takes both a man and a women with the capacity to create this type of love (how stories written by women for women can't realistically happen because men aren't like the creations nor do they think that way). Two words : Nicholas Sparks. If one man can get it, the potential is there for all to get it. You just have to find the right love. You have to find The One. (I know, I know such a cliche...still doesn't make it any less poignant)

So after that (longer than expected) introduction, please enjoy "Loved Like Her"

An anchor during an uncontrollable storm of time and space

Relied upon as a sole redeeming quality, a saving grace

Able to see past the surface to adore the soul within

Protection and promise liken to dandelion in spring

Conquered the impossibility of two places at once

A bird unfailingly singing their song of remembrance

Saved a soul from a life of endless night and sin

Desire steadfast despite or amidst affairs of kin

His love defies odds and manifests a dream come true

To be loved like her cannot come ‘all too soon’

As always, thanks for reading!

xo Krista Marie Rose

p.s. if any of you are unfamiliar with any of these 8 stories, I HIGHLY recommend you read them (...or at least visit their Wikipedia pages!)

"For I Marry My Best Friend"

Ok, so I realize I have been gone a while...but I had a push the other week and I am coming back around! My sister's wedding in October, the holidays, my 9-5, and other little life events have kept me distracted and my writing efforts on the back-burner, but I decided I need to make time for what I love to do. 

So to kicks things off, my first novetry entry post-hiatus isn't one based off another story. It's based on my own. This novelette and poem were inspired by my sister's wedding. As her maid of honor, the poem was a part of my speech/gift to them. In turn, I felt moved to write an slightly altered version (for respecting privacy's sake) of their love story as a background for the poem's substance and references. 

It's important to know that the song referenced in the story is "Wonderwall" by Oasis. So here is the story followed by the poem... I really hope you enjoy them! (I admit, it's a bit nerve-wracking to share my work each and every time)

xo Krista

For I Marry My Best Friend : Novelette and Poem

“And I now introduce for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Westley!!!!”

The music swells and doors swing open to unveil the beaming couple. The cheers and applause of their loved ones envelop them, reflecting the excitement that is plain on their faces. They reach the dance floor and he spins her into his arms as a familiar song starts to play. Once the giggles subside from the unexpected twirl, the first line reaches her ears and time spins back as well.

Today is gonna be the day that their gonna throw it back to you…

Jen is 17 years old and standing off to the side of the dance floor. No one else is around so she allows herself to look dejected. She has kept up appearances in the sight of her friends (and Eric), but now she is given a slight reprieve. It’s the last dance so everyone is distracted by his or her need to end the evening with someone. Another mutual friend has kidnapped her date so she’s taken the opportunity to reflect on the irony of the evening. She wasn’t supposed to be here with her friend Scott…she should be with Eric! He wasn’t supposed to break up with her before the prom, show up with another date, and act like she doesn’t exist. Six months ago she was his angel, and now her wings have been clipped. Tears well up in her eyes, but before they can spill over the shock of movement dry them up.

            “Ah!” she exclaims as a familiar hand sweeps her onto the dance floor.

            “May I have this dance?” Jeff asks with a friendly smile.

            “Well since you kind of stole it already, sure.”

            “You were looking like you could use a pick-me-up…”

            She hesitates, but decides to take the bait anyway. It’s not like they haven’t been sharing mutual heartbreak misery, but she hoped to spend one night avoiding it. Plus he hasn’t been so willing to talk about it lately and is the only one who completely understands. “Well as you know too well, this night has turned out differently than expected.”

            “It’s true. But since Katie and Eric have become such close friends after they broke up with us…”

            “Best friends,” she interrupts curtly.

            “…I thought maybe we could try to end the evening on a high note. It’s better than standing on the sidelines alone and looking pathetic.”

“Oh thanks. I’m glad to know I can still get a pity dance. Is that why we’ve been hanging out so much lately? Does it make you feel better just to not be alone?”

“No, actually something else has made me feel better lately. I’ve been meaning to tell you that I…I decided I’m okay with the end of my relationship. You and I have both taken all the blame, but it really was out of our control. We didn’t see the point in giving up so easily when we had something good, but they did because they saw something better. And now…I’ve come to understand that.”

She looks at him skeptically, confused by his newly found wisdom. “How so?”

“Something better was presented to me, too. That maybe it was there all along and I would have realized it sooner if we both weren’t so distracted…” At this, he looks at her with an intensity she can’t deny. Her head begins to spin with questions (even doubtful speculation) but she decides to start with something simple.

“So… you didn’t just ask me to dance because we’ve been friends these four years and I looked pathetic standing all alone?”

“No. I asked you because it’s my last shot tonight to dance with the most beautiful woman in the room. And I decided to follow Katie’s footsteps and take a risk for my better opportunity. Unfortunately the song is about to end, but maybe there’s hope it was just a beginning…?” He says this calmly and even with a hint of playful charm, but she can sense how it’s a mask for his nervousness being kept at bay.

She looks at him with a slightly confused and shocked expression, but then allows a shy smile to surface. Maybe this end could be the start of a new beginning.

I don’t believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now…

Time spins forward and she finds herself in the same set of arms as if time stood still. “Do you realize it’s been 10 years since we last danced together to this song?”

He pauses and replies with a bemused expression “wow, you’re right, I can’t believe it’s been that long. I feel old.”

She says wryly, “I know, together a whole decade. A lot has changed, but apparently I am still stuck with you. Well, you can’t have it all” A playful smile briefly sneaks its way onto her lips.

He laughs softly, “One thing hasn’t changed. I am still dancing with the most beautiful woman in the room. Only now she’s my best friend and I’m lucky enough to call her my wife. So I say you can have it all.”

She lifts her head from his chest to look at him with a tearful eye as the song softly plays out, You’re gonna be the one that saves me…

She quotes the last line that perfectly mirrors her own heart, “And after all, you’re my wonderwall."

A fortress of security

One to save me assuredly

A protection from life’s all

For I marry my wonderwall

A decade has passed

Since a life changing dance

But that song plays on without an end

For I marry my best friend

Desire for Dichromaticism

Hello all,

Well I have a new project on my plate...I am developing my own novel :) It's been something on my mind a lot lately and I've already started creating novetry for it. The novetry will be incorporated into the story at appropriate points in the narrative (reflecting the protagonist's thoughts and emotions as if she wrote the poetry herself as a means of cathartic release).

The working title is "Shades of Gray." It is about a girl in her senior year of college who has just experienced the most eye-opening and difficult year of her young life. She comes to learn about the complexities of love...love that defines friendship, family, and romance. She is forced to deal with a friend dating someone who use to be very special to her, the truth of her parent's relationship thrown into the light and it's potentially dividing consequences, and lastly falling in love with a guy who is so wrong for her and ultimately tests who she is as a person. She grows in the understanding that things are never black and white, right and wrong, yes or no. They are always many, many shades of gray.

Here is a novetry excerpt that reflects the basic premise of the story and the working title itself. It's called "Desire for Dichromaticism"

Life isn’t black and white

It’s colored in different shades of gray

We may try to convince ourselves

Into believing it is simple

But it is just a naïve desire

For the easy way out

Avoiding pain and doubt

Relieving responsibility

I dream of a utopian parallel

One-dimensional and clear

Analysis not needed to dispel the fear

Choices obvious and views omniscient

Complexity stains the hopes of perfection

As children, we perceive a dichromatic world

With no awareness of varying semblance

But with growth and maturity

We realize the truth of reality

Thoughts, emotions, life and love

Complicated multifaceted entities

Making us vulnerable

Defining our humanity



Thanks for reading!! More to come...In addition to brainstorming and outlining, I've started on the Prelude/Chapter 1 this weekend :)


xoxo Krista

"A Black Hole"

Let us compare it to a black hole

A phenomenon to be appreciated

An awareness of the effect has taken place

(I’ve fallen past his event horizon

To the point of no return)

I feel the gravitational pull

One that is too strong to resist

I shamelessly (hopelessly) give in

And orient myself in his direction

Pure magnetism

His presence enhances the longing in absence

My heart strains to be near his own

Reeling in a mysterious sense of connection

Curiosity swells as my thirsty heart takes a drink

Inversely I fear the darkness of it

Maybe it’s better to be left unexplored

Considering potential repercussions if not

Is the personal (emotional) risk worth it?

Its force shakes my unsteady core

But I’m already succumbing to the influence

Can the enticement be trusted?

But my mind/heart constantly aches

And I simply adore him

So what else am I to do?

I offer my out-stretched hand

To take the leap into the beauty

Of the vast unknown

COMMENTARY: This poem is reflects Bella's coming to terms with her feelings for Edward in Twilight. I think of the part when she is laying in the woods and realizing how she feared for him during her dream. She knows she is in too deep. Despite knowing the truth about him, she doesn't want to be without him. She is slightly apprehensive and doesn't know how it will all work out, but she is determined to be with him. What they have is special, phenominal...like a black hole.

"...It doesn't matter what you are, it's too late." "I would rather die than stay away from you" Love is not logic ;)

Thanks for reading!


Krista

"I Am Dazzled"

Not that I plan to go in complete chronological order, but I do plan to flow a bit from book to book in the Twilight Saga. I begin with Twilight...and Bella's life-changing discovery of a boy with bronze hair.

An instantaneous reaction

A small amount of time required

For the intrusion to begin

The dormant hope flutters awake

Against the defensive will to fake

As the eyes behold a sight

Becoming powerless to the desire

The heart stimulates

The stomach constricts

All instincts fail to resist

In close proximity

Inexplicable chill and hostility

Rolls off in waves

He visibly disturbed and gone for days

Upon return a softer gaze locks on mine

A careful introduction, an emotional connection

The heart knows no delay

And protective walls begin to fade

His company medicates the pain

Breaks in the heart feel less exposed

Oh the ache for his healing presence

Combined with one from his cryptic message

In character, all I ever wanted and more

Overwhelmed by the degree of complement

I pray wholeheartedly for it to be true

For a blessing and reciprocated love to ensue

I am fearful of the future

I am drawn in and pushed away

I am praying for a blessing in disguise

I am dazzled by the one with golden eyes


COMMENTARY: Overall, this is a reflection of Bella's emotional state in the very beginning of their story, before clarity and declarations are made. The first 2 stanzas reflect them locking eyes from across the cafeteria. The 3rd introduces the biology classroom and it's consequences...the 4th travels into the time when an attempt is made to understand the girl with the silent mind. Stanzas 5, 6, & 7 reflects her feeling besotted but confused. He doesn't leave her alone but he is constantly warning her to stay away. But that is the last thing she wants to do. She is uncertain, but hopeful because any other decision is impossible to live. She wants nothing more than the one who dazzles.


Thanks for reading! Feel free to spread the word to others fans :)

"Twilight to Dawn"

* Due to the nature of novetry, a poem will most often have commentary accompanying it. I believe this is the best way for you to know what book/passage/chapter/character I am channeling creatively. To avoid a spoiler alert, I will post my comments and reflections after the poem. Enjoy...and don't forget to follow on Twitter and like on Facebook :) *

Twilight

A beautiful presentation

Foreshadowing the unknown

Presenting an option

Between reception or rejection

Acceptance or defeat

A beginning or an end

Defined on perspective

Darkness swallows the sky

And a new moon overwhelms

Absence enhancing the hopelessness

Creating a despondent void

Bleak solitude

Crushing from all sides

Numbness develops within the lull

A black hole

The sun slyly peaks through

Early in the mourning

Shedding necessary light and warmth

But an eclipse occurs

A rare, majestic occurrence

Not to be taken for granted

Special and one-of-a-kind

No competition for the ball of fire

Succumbing to its magnificence

Within the confines

Of choice and perseverance

Destiny appears

On the horizon

Beginning a new day

And achieving victory

By breaking dawn

A resolution of happiness

Forevermore

COMMENTARY: My first poem emerged from an inspiration by the entire Twilight Saga. I enjoy playing with words and created this double entendre one day when thinking about how the series is named. It can be read and understood in a literal, straightforward way -- a lyrical description of phases of the moon, sun, and transition between day and night. But those of us in the know can read this poem from the figurative perspective of a Twilight fan and the books themselves. Instead of celestial bodies, it marks the transitional story of Bella and her love of Edward (even Jacob is referenced for his warmth in time of early "morning/mourning") In the end, the literal night and Bella's figurative night is conquered by dawn and happiness reigns :)

Comments and questions are welcome! Please refer back to my first post to learn more about novetry in general. And remember, I will continually post more Twilight (and other novel) inspired works...so stay tuned!! 

<3 Krista

So you're wondering... "What is Novetry?"

Hello and welcome, I'm Krista :)

I write novetry. Now, I realize you might be (probably are) asking yourself "what is novetry?" Well, it's poetry inspired by novels. I take a passage, chapter, or the entire tone of a book and write poetry based on the characters, feelings, and/or personal reflections. I wish to share this art with fellow book lovers in the hopes they might appreciate and connect to their love of a story in a new way. THE TWILIGHT SAGA has been a dominant inspiration so far. In addition to Twilight, I also have a list of others that I am working on including Jane Austen novels and Harry Potter.

THE WHY:
More often than not, I find myself reeling after getting lost in a book, whether it's my first encounter or re-reading a dog-eared passage of a favored novel. All the emotions of the story stir within my heart and I am moved beyond stillness. Words and thoughts ache to convert and flow through me, destined to converge into something more…something lyrical.

That is how novetry came to be. It’s wholly unique while indelibly linked. What I read becomes a part of me and I become inspired to create anew. To convey the story in a different way or reflect on the lessons, feelings, and characters involved.

THE INTERACTIVE:

In addition to sharing my work, I see this as a creative exercise as well. I am open to suggestions of books/passages for which you would like me to create novetry :)

I hope this introduction is sufficient enough to explain my art as well as garner interest in keeping up with my work. Thank you for reading and I'll be posting my first entry soon. HINT: It's Twilight-inspired ;)

xoxo Krista