Something Concealed – A Musical Poetry Emulation

Musical Poetry Emulation

   The following is an attempt at something new. To the world of creative writing I am still a novice; so, to test the waters of this new world I decided I would task myself with an emulation – an emulation of songs. I love music, it is my heart and soul, so I figured the best way to develop my own voice and my own style was to write in a place where I can truly speak from my heart. The songs I have chosen are those which have touched me and my soul in a different way than any other, and their very essence puts me in a calm and heartfelt state of mind. I state those songs below, but most come from my favourite album, Woodland by the Paper Kites. I hope you enjoy this merry invitation into my creative mind.

= The Letter =
by Luca Rios

I paint you a picture,
A picture full of hope.
It includes a heavy memory,
Weighing down what’s enveloped:

I can’t change your thoughts, my dear;
I know, I can’t change your fears.
But if you want, I’ll travel near,
To make them disappear.

I’ll be there in the summer,
So we can see where we have bled.
And take you to a moment
Where our love isn’t dead…

Sometime in the summer,
We’ll listen to the song unsung.
And among the mud and branches,
We’ll find what’s keeping us young.

I painted you a picture,
A picture full of light.
Which sings the tune
Of the never-won fight:

In the morning when I wake,
And the sun is coming through,
My bed lies empty,
With a spot left for you.

I know my love is yours;
But your love’s not mine.
And I’ll be there in the summer
Trying to make things fine.

I shall write it in this letter,
Of what my fear is about:
You fill my head with pieces
Of a song I can’t get out.

You’re blaze within the mind,
And you’ve mixed all my wires.
You remain stuck in my head,
And you’re creating forest fires.

I’ve painted you a picture,
A picture yet unseen.
Still, it remains in this song and this letter,
A constant reminder of the dream.

Written explanation…

This letter is to the narrator’s loved one, in an attempt to reconcile their past. They have spent some time apart (the reason at first unknown); yet, the narrator continues their love in his mind…

I paint you a picture,
A picture full of hope.
It includes a heavy memory,
Weighing down what’s enveloped:

The narrator has a letter for his loved one: “[He] painted [her] a picture,” which contains a confession of how he wants to connect again, “a picture full of hope.” “It includes a heavy memory,” because of their history, and this is what, “[weighs] down what’s enveloped.” This stanza was emulated from the song Forest Fires by Axel Flóvent the actual lyrics read, “I painted you a picture / Picture full of light / It includes a heavy memory / Memory so bright.” This Stanza is used again two other times in the poem. The idea of the letter comes from my favourite song of all time: Bloom by The Paper Kites.

I can’t change your thoughts, my dear;
I know, I can’t change your fears.
But if you want, I’ll travel near,
To make them disappear.

This stanza is a slightly modified version of Forest Fire’s second stanza, “I can’t change your thoughts, my dear / I can’t change your fears / But if you want I’ll travel near / To make it disappear.” It’s the narrator’s words to his loved one saying that he knows he can’t change her current, “thoughts,” or, “fears,” but if he, “travels near,” (as in come to her) he would be able to, “disappear.” The narrator knows that his loved one’s current thoughts and fears of their relationship will never really die, but he believes that he can help her move on.

I’ll be there in the summer,
So we can see where we have bled.
And take you to a moment
Where our love isn’t dead…

So to make this happen he will come, “visit,” in the summer so they can see where their relationship went wrong and show her how alive it still is, at least in his own mind. Line one comes from Forest Fires and line two is emulated from Woodland by The Paper Kites.

Sometime in the summer,
We’ll listen to the song unsung.
And among the mud and branches,
We’ll find what’s keeping us young.

In the summer they shall listen to the, “song unsung,” which is their love, but more so, her love that she is hiding from the narrator. “Among the mud and branches,” so within all the dirt and messy things of life they shall continue to, “find what’s keeping [them] young.” (Their love) The, “summer,” idea comes back from Forest Fires. The, “song,” is emulated from Halcyon by The Paper Kites’ lyric, “And the birds will sing our song in Halcyon.” Finally, “mid and branches,” and, “find what’s keeping us young,” both are emulated from Woodland.

I painted you a picture,
A picture full of light.
Which sings the tune
Of the never-won fight:

Similar message as the first stanza, but this time the letter shines, “light,” on the situation that the narrator and his loved one are in. The light also represents the hope, like stanza one. The letter too, “sings the tune,” thus shining that stated light on, “the never won fight.” The fight that the narrator has been battling with his loved one but has never been resolved: a fight for their relationship. Again, painting the picture comes from Forest Fires and singing the tune is the motif of the, “song,” emulated from Halcyon.

In the morning when I wake,
And the sun is coming through,
My bed lies empty,
With a spot left for you.

Pretty simple stanza about the narrator’s experience while he is without his loved one and he thinks about her every day, and presumably night when he comes back to bed. First two lines are from Bloom by The Paper Kites.

I know my love is yours;
But your love’s not mine.
And I’ll be there in the summer
Trying to make things fine.

He accepts that in the moment that she reads the letter; nevertheless, he will be there in the summer in an attempt to fix everything. First two stanzas are emulated from Featherstone by The Paper Kites while the third stanza is another use of Axel’s lyric from Forest Fires.

I shall write it in this letter,
Of what my fear is about:
You fill my head with pieces
Of a song I can’t get out.

Here the narrator admits that he is afraid and concerned that he can’t get his loved one out of his head; specifically, he can’t get the song – their love – out of his head. The last two lines come from the song Bloom.

You’re a blaze within the mind,
And you’ve mixed all my wires.
You remain stuck in my head,
And you’re creating forest fires.

The love that they had for each other never died for the narrator and here he writes how his loved one has, “mixed up all his wires,” in a confusion which has created the, “blaze,” of pain within him. He can’t get her out though, and her blaze turns into, “forest fires,” of overwhelming force and destruction. The final line, clearly, is from Forest Fires.

I’ve painted you a picture,
A picture yet unseen.
Still, it remains in this song and this letter,
A constant reminder of the dream.

The poem ends an echo of the first stanza. The narrator’s painted, “picture,” (letter) is, “yet unseen,” by his loved one. And it will stay that way, he writes letters to her, but never sends them. However, they, along with the song, are for him – for him to remember what he had with her but left only to wish. Left only to dream of what could be.

Something to think about… Writing this explanation has made me realise that there is a possibility that the loved one has died or was killed. His love is hers, as he lives on, but her love is gone with her soul. He keeps the letters because he really has nowhere to send them but writes them for the part of her that is still within him. Him coming to, “visit,” in the summer could be him coming to her through his own death, a planned suicide. A suicide caused by the, “forest fire,” of a mental illness due to her death.

A morbid note to leave you off with, but I guess that’s the power that comes from creativity.

Songs emulated from…
  •  Woodland – The Paper Kites

•  Featherstone – The Paper Kites

  •  Bloom – The Paper Kites

  •  Halcyon – The Paper Kites

  •  Forest Fires – Axel Flóvent

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6 thoughts on “Something Concealed – A Musical Poetry Emulation

  1. Be sure to also write an explanation of your poem – whenever you write a poem. i.e. in prose sentences – explain each of the inspirations from the songs you emulated from.

  2. Dear Luca:

    Before I even began reading your emulation, I already knew that this was going to be a piece that connected deeply with me. From reading your introduction, I could tell from the very first line that you are stepping a bit out of your comfort zone into somewhat uncharted territory – which I completely salute. As someone who was unable to get my own creativity to flourish at first, I found it unnerving to put something up for everyone to see. However, words have value, and I really hope you continue to push the boundaries of your writing to make some great work.

    And this was just that – great work. Your creative success here really brings into question what other masterpieces are lurking in your brain, but even this first venture captures so many things amazingly well. I love the analogy of painting a picture because it really brings home the creative aspect, so I’m already hooked in by the first line. Your creative flow and truth here is evident as well; your commitment to the overall rhyme scheme and structure made this piece honestly incredible because oftentimes we can feel limited by these things. Your lines are all just the right length, and I think that you really captured a lot of emotion within this. It seems loving and yet a bit somber and nostalgic.

    I truly applaud you for this piece. Truly, it is hard to start writing creatively – I can say from experience – and even harder when you set such strict boundaries like rhyme and musical structure. I can tell you are definitely a special writer whose creative pieces will sparkle. I cannot stress to you how much it is necessary for you to keep writing creatively: your words need to be spoken.

    I do agree with the other comment about just providing a bit of context and clarity. This post could have benefitted from adding why you chose each song and just an explanation of the piece overall.

    I now have a completely serious proposition for you: I think it would be interesting to see these thoughts in a monologue adaptation. As you have acting experience, this could turn out really well, and I want to see where you take these creative ideas when you don’t have the restriction of needing it to sound a very particular way. Even if it isn’t this piece, I do think that your music choices have a lot of impact and there is a lot of emulation you can use from there.

    Luca, this was an excellent exhibition from your creative brain. I definitely know that the world of creative writing is somewhere where you can flourish, should you choose to continue in it (which I completely recommend).

    Lots of Louis Vuitton,

    Zaid

    1. Zaid,

      Thank you for taking the time to read through my post and leaving such a thoughtful comment. As you can see I have added some clarity to each stanza and where the lyrics of the songs could be found. As for the reason I chose them, I just really liked them. The Woodland album by The Paper Kites has been in my heart for a few years now and still remains my favorite.
      As for your proposition, I accept it! Probably won’t be fulfilled anytime soon, but you can expect something of a monologue to be written by the time we finish AP next year…
      It’s been an honor working with you Zaid, and as you will see in my “Not a Goodbye” post, I really value your opinions and ideas.

      Thank you eternally,
      Luca

  3. Luca,

    I am incredibly proud of you for taking us on this journey of exploring this new direction of writing. I loved it and I love you. The creativity and authenticity present in your work just beautifully mirrors your personality.

    Now you truly know how to create a masterpiece. I saw musical emulation and I was instantly drawn into this world of sound and beauty. The poem was os beautiful and I just resonated so well with it’s contents. You have such an ear for music, which is something I have forever admired about you, so I had absolutely no doubt that the words would match your song choices, emulating such powerful feeling and mood and story line.

    I adore your mother so it would only be right that I echo her incredibly wise words (not trying to suck up Hunni… or maybe I am I have not decided yet <3). I would have really appreciated a little explanation for your song choices despite the fact that they were stunning and worked so well with this piece. It helps your reader not think to much, especially for an AP kid who loves to analyze the heck out of everything they read- we need to work our minds a little less.

    For the millionth time, thank you for being in my life and always being one of my biggest support systems. You are the brother I never had. Love you so very much and I am so excited to go into the rest of this year and next year with you in my life.

    Lexi

    1. Lexicon,

      I feel blessed to have someone as creatively clever as you leave such a praiseful comment. I always read your creative pieces in search of inspiration for my own, so it warms my heart knowing that you appreciated this. As for the song choices (as I replied to Zaid), I didn’t have too much meaning in the songs that I specifically chose, but really I chose them because I really loved them. They specifically don’t add any hidden meaning to the piece (at least not any that I intended) but were rather chosen for what they meant to me. If you haven’t listened to the album “Woodland” by The Paper Kites already, I highly suggest that you do; especially during hard times.

      Eternal gratitude,
      Luca

  4. Dear Luca,
    I really love what you did with this piece! I am familiar with most of the songs you referenced and I loved how you intertwined your own voice amongst that of the song. I really love this idea of utilizing songs that you know and love to expand your abilities in a writing form that we haven’t had as much time to explore.

    I think it would be very interesting for you to put this poetry to music as I know you could definitely add guitar to this. All you would need to do is choose a stanza to be your chorus and build a structure. I feel as though if you did that then it would be the perfect marriage of your musical and writing talents.

    I really enjoyed being in your class this semester and I’m excited to have 3 more semesters with you.

    Love you!
    Abby

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