The Art of Love | Teen Ink

The Art of Love

March 21, 2010
By justsmile164 BRONZE, New York, New York
justsmile164 BRONZE, New York, New York
4 articles 0 photos 73 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Talent is nothing without character."


Saturday morning. Composition class.

I think that was when I first admitted it to myself: I was in love with him. It was almost unfair. I didn’t have a say in the matter at all. I had fallen for him, whether I liked it or not.

The room was filled with the beautiful noise of thirteen young composers fighting with their pianos to make music. I wanted to write something incredible for him, but I was having trouble. Nothing I composed was good enough.

I thought back to when we first met. I saw him drawing in the hallway at school — a half-finished black and white portrait that was vivid even without color. I couldn’t look away. I also wasn’t watching where I was going and collided with a tall senior. The collision made me release the composition notebook in my hand. Sheet music that I had composed flew everywhere. To my horror, he picked up a few sheets, scrutinizing the music before returning them to me. He must have thought I was some sort of freak.

I shook myself out of the memory. I had to focus on this music. Taking a deep breath, I picked up my pencil with my left hand and placed my right hand on the piano in front of me. And, to my surprise, the music came. He inspired me to find the melody in my heart, and I let it flow onto the page.

You could say I am a hopeless romantic, because I like to imagine that he can hear the music I wrote. In my mind, he thinks it is achingly beautiful and, in return, he draws my portrait.

Sometimes when I play his piece I imagine what the portrait looks like. It’s perfect.



I’ve always been able to draw anyone I want. Portraits are my forte. But for some reason, I can’t draw her. I know exactly what she looks like — yet I can’t get her portrait to look right. Every stroke is a mistake.

One day, I saw her walking down the hallway. I was trying my best not to look at her. She was frustrating me. What was different about her that was causing me strife? Sure, she was beautiful and I had no chance with her. She must have thought I was an anti-social weirdo, just sitting by myself and drawing all the time. That was a little discouraging.

But the point was that I couldn’t draw her. This was killing me.

While she was walking down the hallway that day, someone crashed into her. Her face turned horror-struck when she dropped her composition notebook and paper flew all over the hallway. I picked a few sheets up for her, gazing at them for a moment. I was reluctant to give the sheets back. I knew that the sooner I returned the music, the sooner she would be gone.

I think that was when I realized that I was in love with her. Like some sort of lovesick Romeo, I was in love with her.

After she had collected her music and left, I flipped to a new page in my sketchbook. I finally trusted myself and drew her. No mistakes this time. The right pencil strokes came to me fluidly — almost like music.



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This article has 103 comments.


on Aug. 10 2011 at 11:27 am
inkblot13 PLATINUM, Auburn, New York
41 articles 1 photo 160 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If I knew where poems came from, I'd go there"




- Michael Langley, 'Staying Alive'

I LOVED this story, it was really well written. Great word choice!

(PS- check out some of my stuff? My newest piece is called Chemistry :)


Awsomechic said...
on Jul. 19 2011 at 12:45 pm
Awsomechic, Littleton, Colorado
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I always love reading this piece.  Excellent job!!

on Apr. 22 2011 at 8:48 pm
twix.n.pixi.stix7 GOLD, Stewartsville, New Jersey
11 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"you can dream big
or you can dream small
the important thing
is that you're dreaming at all"
~me! haha i wrote that :)

that was very nice...i loved how it  showed both points of view, and that they were each other's weaknesses, but it worked out in the end :)

on Mar. 9 2011 at 4:23 pm
this is cute, i like it :)

on Nov. 19 2010 at 4:56 pm
SilverLuna SILVER, _________, Washington
8 articles 0 photos 229 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Come fairies take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame.".... W.B. Yeats.
"Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Douglas Adams

This is beautiful in the way that you don't make this too corny. It's simplisitcally even when it comes to the lay-out, and I like that(:

 

Do you think you could check out one of my pieces? It's titled 'Burnt Leaves', if you could I'd love that! Thanks!


on Oct. 8 2010 at 2:25 pm
justsmile164 BRONZE, New York, New York
4 articles 0 photos 73 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Talent is nothing without character."

thank you! :)

on Oct. 8 2010 at 8:56 am
burningembers GOLD, Union City, Ohio
10 articles 0 photos 51 comments
You managed to write about something cliche and make it fresh and amazing and wonderful.  Bravo.

on Sep. 19 2010 at 3:48 pm
this is soo good. i don't rly think it was cliche, maybe it's not realistic enough to be a true story, but it just made me happy while reading :) keep writing please!

luv2write said...
on Sep. 11 2010 at 11:31 am
Sorry I think I'm clogging up the server here and my stupid laptop seemed to have put it twice via copy and paste please do not waste time clicking more since it is the same thing.  If it does I again I am truly sorry :)

luv2write said...
on Sep. 11 2010 at 11:27 am

I understand your perspective on the whole thing and I agree that is odd how a girl would think it 'unfair' to fall for someone. Word choice is a very difficult thing. I am taking a Creative Writing class (I know, it's probably not showing) but the words are the hardest, not exactly the storyline. If you understand me.
It's okay how you "is all" and I do not think you sound like a total jerkface. I understand your point of view and all I just think that this is a good story which could use a bit more backbone but one can really understand the character's feeling. Sorry if I'm repetitive.

~luv2write~
(sorry for the pathetic screen name, I don't have an account with TeenInk yet and so I don't have a proper username and account)


on Sep. 10 2010 at 11:58 pm
Mirrorxmask BRONZE, Ramsey, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Sometimes we seek that which we are not yet ready to find."-Libba Bray

I also apparently say "is all" a lot when I try to justify a point without sounding like a jerkface XD sorry about that.

on Sep. 10 2010 at 10:35 pm
Mirrorxmask BRONZE, Ramsey, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Sometimes we seek that which we are not yet ready to find."-Libba Bray

"It was almost unfair. I didn’t have a say in the matter at all. I had fallen for him, whether I liked it or not. " That's the part I had the most issue with :P It just has a negative connotation to the reader is all. The fact that she doesn't get a choice in her mind and she describes this as "unfair". Word choice is just a tricky thing is all :) And don't worry about disagreeing or anything, it's cool. I'm just more sensitive to it because I've written three papers now on feminism and the objectification of women through today's media now is all :P Not saying that this does that, but with the connotation it's just how it reads to someone like me.

on Sep. 10 2010 at 9:57 pm
Mirrorxmask BRONZE, Ramsey, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Sometimes we seek that which we are not yet ready to find."-Libba Bray

Oh I wasn't trying to come across as harsh or anything :) I'm just unfortunately very honest. Though I don't believe they love each other. To love is to know, so you can't love from afar and have it be actual love if that makes sense. It's more of a crush based on shallow observations about the other person. Though the characters are teenagers, so I completely get the confusion between love and crush. Like, just because I know certain things about a person, doesn't mean I know the whole person if that makes any sense at all :D

on Sep. 10 2010 at 8:49 pm
justsmile164 BRONZE, New York, New York
4 articles 0 photos 73 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Talent is nothing without character."

I don't mean to butt in here (because I think it's immature to make angry retorts and such on here), but I would like to add that they are not suddenly declaring their undying love or anything. Rather, they have gradually realized (and, yes, suddenly admitted to themselves) that they have grown to love each other - from afar. 

Thanks again for your comment - I really, really appreciate it. I should try to develop details like that more completely next time :)


luv2write said...
on Sep. 10 2010 at 7:26 pm

Sorry I think I spelled your username wrong: I mean
Mirrorxmask
Sorry it was bothering me :)

Don't forget to smile today!

 


luv2write said...
on Sep. 10 2010 at 7:19 pm

Mirrorxmas, I agree, yet disagree with you. I agree that this is a wonderful piece of literature and that the author should continue to write. Than I begin to disagree with your comment. For one you wrote how she see's herself belittled compared to him. A lot of girls feel this way and that's the whole "oh he's too good for me I could never have him" story you mentioned earlier in your reply. Also it can't really be love at first sight thing, I agree with you there, but you know, in almost every grade, a girl likes (or they would say 'loves') a boy. Now, they don't know each in that aspect but they still think the boy is cute and dream of them. Even I (by the way I am a girl) like a boy who I probably am not a speck of dust on his piano to him. Yet, I still like him. I think the author has talent and I think that this was a rather cute story. :)

 

~luv2write~


on Sep. 10 2010 at 5:56 pm
AgnotTheOdd GOLD, Aptos, California
17 articles 0 photos 315 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The reason for your unreasonable treatment of my reason so enfeebles my reason that I have reason to complain of your reason" ~ Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

I agree with mirrorxmask, however, I really do like the two points of views.  It made me crack a smile :)

on Sep. 10 2010 at 5:55 pm
AgnotTheOdd GOLD, Aptos, California
17 articles 0 photos 315 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The reason for your unreasonable treatment of my reason so enfeebles my reason that I have reason to complain of your reason" ~ Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

I'm entitled to agree

on Sep. 3 2010 at 11:43 am
Writer24 SILVER, Acton, Massachusetts
5 articles 0 photos 41 comments
It seems almost like it should go further than that, like I really want to see them get to know each other and it's really good!

on Sep. 2 2010 at 1:19 am
Mirrorxmask BRONZE, Ramsey, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Sometimes we seek that which we are not yet ready to find."-Libba Bray

So, I may be burned at the stake for this, but I thought it was a little cliche. No more "I'm a girl and I can't have this boy, and oh, I'm a boy and ditto. Oh! But what luck! We "love" each other! Yay!" type stories. I'll be the first to agree that the writing is lovely. And I think that you should continue for sure, it would almost be a crime not to. But! I don't agree with how your female narrator sees herself. It's almost like she sees herself as entirely belittled and inadequate in comparrison to this boy. And this brings me to my next point of, they can't love each other. They don't know each other. Actually, it's silly to think that they have any feelings for each other because they mean literally nothing to one another. This can be seen in the permaybehaps unintentional metaphor of neither of them being able to capture one another through their own forms of art. You can't capture the essence of something with no intimate knowledge of it. The ending line was perfect though, so I admire you for that one. Other than that, I thought that this was well written for what you intended to accomplish. You've got talent, just keep developing it.