You Tell Me

Poet: Marra PL. Lanot
Source: "One Hundred Love Poems"
Year Created: 1984
Year Published: 2004
Publisher: The University of the Philippines Press

You Tell Me


You tell me if you had a wife
You wouldn't mind her falling
In love with another, especially
If you left her crying in the night.

You ask me if I want you
To think of no one but me
For you say you'd gladly spend
Your life unraveling a mystery;
Thinking of me, you say,
Is like deciphering a distant star.

And you wouldn't mind
Being used in a poem,
For art you can't refuse.
To err is human
But "human" is no excuse.
To love is natural, the heart
Has its reason, but
The heart is unreasonable
And I am left confused.

So I'd rather cry over him
Than be happy with you;
I'd rather end up
Dreaming and remain a star
You'll always seek and remember
Than sink down and regret
You're like other men
Who make their women cry.


__________________________

Here's a poem of a woman talking to her suitor. As you can see in the first stanza, the suitor tells the persona that it is fine for a wife to fall in love with another man if the husband doesn't make the wife happy anymore. From here, we start to have a glimpse of the character of the suitor.

In the second stanza, the suitor continues to court the persona, offering her more flattery. He compares her to a star, something far and always remains a mystery.

The third stanza tells us of how the woman feels about the man. Certain sayings like "To err is human" and "The heart has its reason" has been used too.

On the last stanza, the woman finally makes a choice. She tells the man that she'd rather cry over someone she loved and lost than spend time with this man who has a sweet tongue. After all, she realized that she might even regret if she would give him a chance because he might be just like other men.

Truly, this poem is a nice composition suitable for ladies who want to get rid of annoying suitors. Perhaps, it's the same reason why Lanot wrote this poem.

The Wedding

Type: Prose

Genre: Fiction

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Year Published: 2003

Publisher: Warner Books

Main Characters: Wilson Lewis - a successful estate lawyer married for almost 30 yrs. but finds it hard to be romantic and expressive when it comes to matters of the heart.

Jane - Noah Calhoun's eldest child; an outgoing woman married to Wilson for almost 30 yrs.

Noah Calhoun - Jane's father and protagonist in "The Notebook". He sets a good example when it comes to love to his kids and children-in-law

________________________

Summary

Despite being married for almost thirty years, Wilson Lewis had just realized that he is starting to lose his wife, Jane. As a successful estate lawyer, he was always busy with work and finds little time for his family. And, when his children started to move out and he is left with Jane alone in the house, it dawned on him that they are starting to fall apart. Determined to save their relationship, he struggles to win back her heart. Yet, he's been faced with wonders whether the woman he loves still have the same feelings towards him. One thing's for certain though - he never loved anyone but Jane in his entire life and his feelings for her has grown even deeper through the years. Inspired by the great 50-year love story and affair of his in-laws Noah Calhoun (from The Notebook) and Allie, Wilson is more than ready to transform himself to the husband he should have been and make his wife fall in love with him all over again.

______________________________

After being touched with Nicholas Sparks' "The Notebook," prepare your handkerchieves again as this sequel novel "The Wedding" takes you into another tearjerking story of love, faith and renewal.

Like Sparks' earlier novels, this one is also filled with romantic scenes and lines that would surely bring out your "high school girl" attitude again whenever you see your crush. However, I must say that there is improvement in this piece because the lines are not too mushy compared to the author's other works.

The first chapters of the novel will already get you hooked to it till you finish the entire book in just one seating. The element of mystery was sustained enough up to the right chapter. And if you try to guess the whole plot, you might suceed but I'll bet that in certain chapters, you'll definitely doubt if your guess is right.

Other than that, the symbolisms in the novel were crafted well too. The story of the swan, teaches us about faith. While the five concentric hearts in rose blooms tells us of love's labors.

***

Memorable lines from the book

"Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day." - Wilson Lewis

"Marriage is about compromise; it’s about doing something for the other person, even when you don’t want to." - Jane

"The more special something is, the more people seem to take it for granted. It’s like they think it won’t ever change..." -Pastor Harvey Wellington

Sonnet 14

Poet: Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Type: Poetry
Source: "Sonnets from the Portuguese"
Year Published: 1850

______________________

Sonnet 14

If thou must love me, let it be for nought
Except for love's sake only.
Do not say 'I love her for her smile—her look—her way
Of speaking gently,—for a trick of thought
That falls in well with mine, and certes brought
A sense of pleasant ease on such a day'—
For these things in themselves, Beloved, may
Be changed, or change for thee,—and love, so wrought,
May be unwrought so. Neither love me for
Thine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry,—
A creature might forget to weep, who bore
Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby!
But love me for love's sake, that evermore
Thou mayst love on, through love's eternity.

______________________________

A classic and one of the commonly used poems in schools. Elizabeth here shows in her verses what true love is really all about.

In the first few lines, the poet tells her beloved to love her not because of her smile or other things that could easily be changed, or might even fade. She even said that those kind of things could be changed to suit the beloved's likeness. Which is why if you understand clearly, it suggests that the beloved, with these reasons, could fall for another girl who could make her smile or look likeable to the beloved.

The next verses, she says that she wishes to be loved for love's reason. That it is great if you love someone because that's how you feel and not because of reasons that could easily be changed. For if this so, then an eternal love is definitely possible.

The Last Leaf

Type: Prose
Genre: Fiction
Author: O. Henry
Main Characters: Joanna "Johnsy"- the girl who is sick with pneumonia and said that she will die once the last leaf on the ivy vine near her window falls
Sue - Joanna's roommate and also co-painter
Old Behrman - Sue and Joanna's neighbor who lives in the ground floor beneath them; also a painter but earns his living through modeling

___________________________

Summary

In the old Greenwich village at Washington, artists live together in apartments. It was November and cold when pneumonia hit the place. Among those who fell victim to the illness is Joanna, a young painter from Maine. Her room mate, Sue, a painter from California, took good care of her and brought her a doctor. However, Joanna pronounced that once the last leaf on the ivy vine outside near her window falls, she too will die. Sue became upset because it seems that Joanna has given up on her life. She doesn't even want to eat anymore. When their neighbor Old Behrman, who was posing as a model for Sue, heard about this, he thought it's insane. Until, Joanna said that it seems the leaf will fall the next morning. But it didn't happen.

________________________


Another one of O. Henry's masterpieces, "The Last Leaf" is a brilliant story written with a clever twist. Imagine, how could a leaf survive the cold November wind. But then, it did in a very witty way.

This story me when some people depend their life's decision on signs. Like Joanna, they seem to be afraid of the future and just give up. Then depend on something and let everything be. A "que sera sera" (whatever will be, will be) attitude.

But, what happened to Joanna and the leaf teaches us life's value. That sometimes we take things for granted and only notice them when it's already too late... When one has already took a huge sacrifice. Thus, we should be appreciative. Be grateful on what we have. Always count the blessings that surround us and look at the sunny side of things.

To have a copy of the story, DOWNLOAD HERE.