But, Forever

Approaches the thorny tree, after a look around to make sure she is alright and then pins her piece of paper up with a smile. The paper is a faded beige-cream with a slightly grainy feel to it if touched, but warm in a pleasant way. The paper is edged in electric blue and stamped in the bottom right corner with a sigil that is too intricate to reproduce. The writing is in a darker blue, almost black across the page:

Thoughtless smiles and
Touches of fingers on the paper;
Turn it over
Hunting for the words you
Said backwards and forwards
To yourself
Again and again.

Write it in a letter
Fold it over and leave it
Where they will find it.
A clever plan
With hands shaking
Ink failing
In spots of blooming colour
That fade and infest the weave
Of paper.

You heard others talk of it
And say how wonderful
How wonderful it is to be
In deep
To your neck.

Been there before and each
Time it broke you;
Each time it broke you
Harder than before.
The cracks look shallow but close
Up on inspection
They run deeper than ever
Deeper and hollow.

So you make promises
Contrive little tricks
And wait the day out
To try and hope that tomorrow
Brings no sorrow.
That it brings only smiles
Laughter and the cracks
Might fade.
Might heal.

...but write it in a letter anyway.
Write that you loved
That you expected each sunrise
To be seen in their eyes
And that you'd forget
That nothing lasts forever,
You'd forget that tomorrow
Might be that 'somday' and 'sometime'
Might be the last,
Forget it all so you won't be uncertain.

But don't forget to write too
That you can see the sunrise in their eyes too.
It's gold and red
And bright and vital;
So even if you're afraid
You'll watch it there and hope again
Dream again that tomorrow
Won't be someday and sometime,
Write down that you love
Their smile and laugh
That the way they surprise you
Is something worth keeping
And even if one must pass
That this time, let it be you, not them;
Let it be you.
So you won't be left with only
A ghost of love.

Write down the fears and hopes
And sign it.
And seal it.
And tell them yourself
In a voice quiet as you hand
The letter across with everything
Of you, inside:
"I love not often,
But forever."

B xxxx

A man walks up to the bulletin and reads over the poem again with a smile before posting a note below it himself

Simply amazing, Bhryn... thank you for writing this poetry for me. It means a lot. I'm going to try and write something though it won't turn out half as good. I love you...

Xanto

The man leaves with a smile.

And so

And so another day dawns on this valley,
Darkness and despair still exist,
In this valley where we reside,
All those we love and care for,
Do not return the feeling.

Do we say something or do we remain,
Noone knows how to respond,
Put your heart out or keep it secure,
Chances are to find out what to do,
For we are all damned by love.

And so as this day continues,
We feel more secure in our lives,
We gain more control of our feelings,
We know we are worth more to life,
And we have something to live for.

When we lay down to sleep at the end,
Our hope and confidence shattered again,
By the one word anyone can say,
One word that means so much to many,
And that one word is simply NO.


Written By

Protector Corwin Sha'kar

Pins a couple of notes up, absently pushing aside a few thorns to do so.

The first reads:

Corwin,

It is good to see you still play tag with me upon this tree, it is a game I enjoy and I hope you are well.

Bhryn.

The second, on similar paper, reads:

With kisses
And wishes,
To you
My heart true.

Bhryn xxx

All Around Me

A man walks up to the tree, gently pinning up a long note, the paper black with white words scribbled on top.

Yesterday
Mid Afternoon
My thoughts kept turning back to you
In my mind
You cloud my head
With echoes of all the things you said
Hey I can not explain
The thought of who you are
Makes me want to scream
If I see my world come tumbling down
If I feel my heart touching the ground
You’re all around me
If everything starts to fade away
And all I can do is call your name
You’re all around me
Yesterday
Mid afternoon
My thoughts kept turning back to you
From the sky stretched into space
To the sunshine on my face
Hey I can not explain
I see you in it all
I hear you call my name
If I see my world come tumbling down
If I feel my heart touching the ground
You’re all around me
If everything starts to fade away
And all I can do is call your name
You’re all around me

For my hlafé...
Xanto

What more

*walks to the board and places something up upon a piece of parchment*

What more does one want from life?
What more does one need?


Life is merely a shell for our eternal souls to life,
Love is merely an emotional grasp of this life,
After all the living is done and all your love is spent,
What have we to offer anyone?

People look at the shell but do not see the soul,
They look at the soul and do not see the shell,
They consider the personality but never the love,
And they consider the love but never anything else.

Corwin Sha'kar
Captain Bladesingers guild of the free world

*the scribbles something else onto the bottom*

Ser dosst dro lu' ssinssrigg seke ussta d'anthe lu' udos orn zuch tlu gaer whol dos.

She passes by the tree, and pauses. Wonderingly she touches the notes. "I must have written these, they are being truthful with me..." and pens a quick reply to the drow, her own language skills untouched on paper.

Natha ssinssrigg seke zhah mal'rak veir, velkyn wund tangis' l' mzilst dubo jakluth d' xukuthen.

Words without meaning

*He walks up to the boards and reads what has been posted and smiles as he pens something in return*

Lady Bhrynn I know this will not strike you as a poem but it is free verse for me.

When you say you love someone what does it mean?
Does it say we are one until time has no meaning,
Or just a way to place possession upon someone,
When you say I really care is it that same?

When people claim to be your friends what do they really want?
Do they want to have you fight their battles for them,
Or just be there to talk to when they need someone,
When you need a friend are they there for you?

We have but one flaw that makes me different from all others,
We actually mean what we say and say what we mean,
So bear this in mind when I say it is true,
Whenever you need a friend you can count on me to be there.

Corwin Sha'kar

Memories

Distant memories of a true love,
Time spent without her,
Angelic voices speak to me from above,
Telling me to beware of everyone.

Centuries come and centuries go,
Still time marches on and on,
Shall I be a pebble and disturb the flow,
No I shall sit and watch as centuries disappear.

Now has come love to me,
Enjoyment and happiness are here,
This feeling shall set me free,
Until she fades from this world again.


Lord Corwin Sha'Kar

Another note is pressed to a thorny out-thrust.

Trading the future for forever
And past encounters, they have faded
As morning mist from here
To somewhere and somewhen;
The face of the girl is no different
There are no lines
No mars to say where I
Have suffered sadness
Or anger
Or hate.
But only the eyes looking at me
Are cool and indifferent.

What voice in my ear tells me
Of the tomorrow I placed aside
Then weepingly forgot;
That was crushed under the today
That came to be.

Where have all the faces gone?
Where is the wolf
And where the wizard?
Where went the maiden
Who tamed horses with simple gestures
And where has the mad mage gone?
Where did they all leave me?
I scrape by in a world
That knows me and smiles sweetly
For acts I cannot recall doing
That knows me, and I know not.
My name called softly;
Phrases only I should know and
Yet, and yet
They are all called to me.

So why did they leave me here?
Why has everyone I knew then
Suddenly grown old?
I see words on pages
Of a life I must have lived
But cannot recall.
Voices in the world I know call to me;
"Hero" or "Saviour..."
But I know them not.

Only words written carefully
Of a woman I must be
That has done great things
And seen greater things
Wished her soul on the far strung stars
And wept at the feet
Of eternity.
Of a woman who I must be
But only know by the cold distance
In my already distant eyes...

B xxxx