I Found
Leonard doesn't talk much, but he has a lot to say. THREE-MINUTES of fiction
Leonard doesn’t talk much, but he has a lot to say. He communicates with his teacher, mostly through his notebook.
The writing class is small, only seven people. Sometimes she gives them topics to explore, sometimes they choose their own. They read their work aloud and talk about it in class, but some choose to keep their work close to the chest. That would be Leonard.
He writes mostly poetry, but really, they’re thinly disguised accounts of his own childhood, of growing up on the rough side of Salinas. He writes of mistakes that a man can make, of someone else’s hope for a second chance. He writes about how some people have big dreams.
But today, in his notebook, Leonard wrote this poem, which was plainly personal:
i found love where it wasnt supposed to be
right in front of me
talk some sense to me
i'll use you as a makeshift gauge
of how much to give and how much to take
and i’ll use you as a focal point
so i dont lose sight of what I want
i found love where it wasnt supposed to be
right in front of me
talk some sense to me
He doesn’t use much punctuation, on principal, and his knowledge of spelling and grammar is sometimes shaky, but Marianne does not edit his work. She finds it impossible to talk about the conventions of writing, when his messages are perfect just as they are. Some teachers talk of creating poetry and committing errors, but Leonard, he creates errors and commits poetry.
Marianne made comments in the margin, as she always does, mostly to draw out details. “Tell me more about ‘give and take’, Leonard. And what is it, exactly, that you want? And who are you talking about here?
He wrote back, “You have given me so much in these classes, Marianne. How much more can I take from you without giving back? What could I possibly give back? It’s no secret who I am talking about.”
They’ve shared nearly a year of notebook conversation, as student and teacher, and Marianne feels she’s learned far more from him than he ever learned from her. She wonders if he knows how special he is. Does he know how much their written exchanges have meant to her?
In just seven more months, they’ll put away the notebook and speak freely to each other, not as student and teacher, but as man and woman. Leonard will be up for parole.
Amber Run, ‘I FOUND’ , with the London Contemporary Voices Such beautiful young people. Triple click arrow.
*Leonard’s poem in this piece is a remix of lyrics from the song, ‘I Found’, by Joshua Keogh of Amber Run, which inspired this little story.
“Some teachers talk of creating poetry and committing errors, but Leonard, he creates errors and commits poetry.” 💚💚💚
A truly unique and wonderful story, Sharron. A romance conducted at arm's length through poetry and margin notes. Leonard "commits" great poetry.