Komi Komi Literature Club!

Chapter 7: The Slump

It was a school night at Komi's house. The family had already had dinner, so now she was just in her room doing her own thing. It wasn't quite time for her to go to sleep yet, but with the amount of anxiety she was currently feeling, she doubted if she'd even be able to.

The end of the school week was creeping closer and closer now: poem day. Monika had announced that the Literature Club members would be sharing their own handwritten poems with each other at the end of the week – that was only a few days away, and she still hadn't written anything down.

She had done some brainstorming though. Initially, she thought about doing a poem entitled, 'The Black Cat', but beyond making some basic observances about black cats using fancy language, she had no idea how to expand on that idea.

The more she thought about what it would sound like in her head, the worse the idea began to seem.

Komi shook her head and sighed to herself. Perhaps she had been too hasty in making the decision to join this club. After all, she had to make a disclaimer at the beginning that she had never written a poem before. And that sort of reading that these girls engaged in – she didn't do often.

No, she couldn't just give up! Not when she had made a commitment. All 4 girls, Yuri especially, had done their best to be welcoming to her and accommodating to her needs. She owed it to them to see this through. She owed it to herself to push past this slump.

Komi nodded to herself, a wave of determination hitting her. She decided to do some research online about writing poems. Surely, that would give her at least a place to start! So she typed 'how to write a poem' in the search bar.

How To Write A Poem: A Step-By-Step Guide For Beginners

Yes! This was exactly what she was looking for! Komi clicked on the article and began to read...

What is a poem? A singular piece of poetry. Okay, well that much was obvious to her. A poem uses words artistically and uses figurative language. Komi opened another tab and looked up the word figurative: it means metaphorical. Metaphorical means suggestive or symbolic language rather than literal.

Komi decided to dedicate a page in her notebook to writing down what she was learning. Her first note: 'Words can take on different meanings depending on how you use them. Context is important for determining meaning.' She continued reading...

Poetry expresses ideas and convey messages; they can teach lessons or draw out emotions. Short stories can be poems. Song lyrics can be poems.

Komi wrote her second note: 'Poetry is a form of self expression. It takes on many forms. The emotions you make people feel is more important than what method you use to accomplish this.'

On and on Komi went like this, writing down her observances on rhythm, rhyme, structure, and sound. Much to her dismay, she learned that poems are often written to be read aloud. That was a whole other hurdle that she would have to overcome, but she couldn't get ahead of herself just yet.

All of this information was beneficial for understanding the nature of poetry, but it still wasn't helping her decide what her poem should be about. For a moment, she considered making her poem about the process of writing poems, but her notes were more akin to a research paper rather than a suitable poem.

Besides, something like that might be either too silly or too ambitious for her first attempt at writing a poem.

Komi sighed once more. She was stumped; well-informed, but still stumped. However, she had made some progress. She was taking her first steps.

Komi nodded to herself again and pumped her fists, a second wave of determination hitting her. However, she still had to face the reality of the empty notebook page in front of her. She had already dedicated a page in her notebook to writing this poem, and she had yet to put even a single speck of ink on the paper.