The Rose that blooms in adversity...

[Rose Glassman/Hawk Aureye]

"...is the most rare and beautiful of all."
~ The Emperor, Mulan

Rose entered the room that she had made into her study. She looked at her messy desk and sighed. Papers everywhere, books scattered about, ink splattered all over the place. One of these days, she'd rearrange it, collect the loose papers off and make it neat again. One of these days.

A gust of wind blew in from the window, and some papers flew from Rose's desk, scattering across from room. The dark-haired young woman groans and is about to retrieve them when something catches her eye. She moves to the window...it is the glint of the sunlight on the sea that has caught her eye. She leans out of the window, closing her eyes and breathing in. A peaceful smile is on her face as the sensations of the sea overtake her. The smile still on, she sits down at her desk, grabs a quill and a sheet of clean paper, and begins to write.

Song of the Sea

Oh, endless blue-green waves
Carrying on as far as the eye can see
Glimmering,
White-tipped,
In the right sunlight,
I sing to you.
I sing to you
The songs of old
That I whistled under my breath
When I rode you in a ship
Skimming through the waves,
The wind whistling through my hair,
The breeze blowing on my cheeks,
Staring into your dark depths,
Feeling free and happy,
Detached from all my problems.

Your depths, so free,
So endless and beautiful,
Seeming to me
The loveliest and most amazing thing;
Your dark depths held mystery
That I wished to conquer,
To discover, to explore;
Your waves held freedom
That I wanted to possess
For in my life I have never been free
And I desired deeply
The delight and weightless joy
That I only found
When sailing.

The wind seemed to whistle
In perfect harmony with me
And it carressed my hair
Gently
And blew against my cheeks
Softly, just brushing it,
And I felt so free,
Like I could leap off of the ship
And the wind would carry me into the air,
And I would fly,
Straight and true,
Into the sky
Reflecting the color of the sea
And holding the sun
That glimmered on the waves,
The glimmer more precious to me
Than diamonds.

Oh, sea, take me into your depths
Welcome me back to you
For I long to sail again
I long to sail
And sing my song of praise
To you,
O Sea,
My one and only love.

She signs with a tiny rose, her seal.

Rose looks out at the sea again and smiles. She places her paper under her ink pot, making sure it doesn't fly off. She then gets up, moves around, and starts picking up papers. Hey, everything had to start somewhere.

[Jack Sparrow]

:blinks, feels like a moron for even posting work next to this masterpiece and bows: "I'm humbled in your poetry Rose....well done...."

[Rose Glassman/Hawk Aureye]

Oh hush, you bum, your stuff rocks =P Thanks though ^^;;;

[Jack Sparrow]

:fidgets and goes red then denies the whole thing: you're talented my friend...keep it up!

[Maria Maharet/Turner]

Nicely done rose

[Rose Glassman/Hawk Aureye]

Rose enters her study again, looking a bit forlorn. Today, for some reason, she's been thinking of Katarina, of her mother. She can't shake the feeling as she sits down and takes out a sheet of calculations, ready to set upon it again. Suddenly, she pauses, her pen halfway to the paper. Smiling faintly, she pulls out a fresh sheet of paper instead and begins to write.

To My Mother

Your voice on the wind
Still haunts me
Echoing in my ears
I can hear your whispers
Of the life you meant for me to have
Jewels, riches, smarts,
You'd mapped it out so perfectly,
What would you think
If you could see me now?

Your eyes, so kind,
The color of the stormy sea,
Looking down on me
With a smile,
A tender and loving smile
I was all you had,
You protected me with your life,
And my only wish
Was to serve you well.
If you could see me
Would you think I had done so?

You're gone now,
Unremembered by most of the world
Your memory faded away
In many hearts,
But you will always live on in mine,
Your smile
Your eyes
Your face
Your warmth
Your laugh
Your kindness
Your dreams
Your hopes
Your prayers
Your love
And everything you gave to me.

You gave me everything,
But what was left of you?
There was nothing left
Because you gave me everything
And kept nothing for yourself
Wasting away
Leaving only a memory

But the memory is enough
And as I sail
I have the wind in my hair
For you are the wind
And I feel your warmth
Your whisper in my ear
Your eyes on mine
I feel your love in my heart
And no matter where you are
That is enough for me.

The rose that accompanies the poem is smudged by a tear dripping from Rose's eye. She hastily wipes her eyes and goes to dry the paper, but thinks better of it and leaves it there; a crystal tear shimmering on the page of her life. And through her tears, she smiles.

Rose raises the poem to her lips for a gentle kiss, then places the poem aside tenderly. Her smile still in place, she reaches for her calculations.

[Elizabeth Swann/Turner]

* Tear*

[Jack Sparrow]

:blinks in amazment and blinks some more: How on earth do you write like that??!?!?!

[Maria Maharet/Turner]

I agree. never in a million years could I right like that. But my mom is and author and so is my aunt. they self publish

[Rose Glassman/Hawk Aureye]

*blushes insanely* Mateys,mateys, my head's gonna inflate soon with all yer praise...*giggles* Thanks, though, very much, will try to get more up soon ^_^;;

[Jack Sparrow]

:prods: write more lass!

[Maria Maharet/Turner]

yes please do!

[Rose Glassman/Hawk Aureye]

Later that same day, Rose entered her room, practically tearing the door off of its hinges. She sat down noisily, placing her head in her hands. By the fading sunlight, the redness and wetness around her eyes is seen. She holds an object in her right hand; passing it to her left hand, she grabs a piece of parchment and a quill, and starts to scribble.

Mournful Lamentation

There’s an emptiness inside,
A void I cannot fill.
And it’s tearing me in two,
Knowing that all I can do
Is watch you go...
And never return to me...

There’s a black spot in my heart,
And it grows every time
I see you in my mind's eye,
Your image never fading,
But still knowing
That you will not come back.

It’s warm outside,
But the cold in my heart
Chills me to the bone.
And knowing that you are not here,
Beside me,
And that you never will be again
Is more than I can take
On this, loneliest of nights.

The rose scribbled at the bottom of the page is rushed, messy, and upon its finish, Rose lets out a cry, tosses the quill down, and buries her face in her arms, bursting into tears.

[Maria Maharet/Turner]

how lovely, yet so mournful

[Rose Glassman/Hawk Aureye]

After years at sea, Rose returns to her study...it's clean, she muses with a grin - it's obvious she hasn't been here for ages. In delight, she pounces on a clean piece of parchment and begins to write.

Freedom

Fresh air,
Cool breezes,
Clouds roll by,
Leaving the sky
Wonderfully clear.

The glitter of the sun
On waves
Catching the light
Glinting blue-yellow-green
A rainbow.

Weightless
Feeling like flying
Away from it all,
And a wonderful feeling,
Intoxicating freedom.

A vision of splendor,
A sound of happiness,
A smell of success,
A taste of bliss,
A feeling of freedom!

She signs her rose with a flourish, then, smiling broadly, goes to the window, flings it open, and gazes happily at the sea that is her home, that has inspired her poem...