Times New Roman Tragedy | Teen Ink

Times New Roman Tragedy

March 12, 2013
By Stella_Val_Illicia GOLD, Salt Lake City, Utah
Stella_Val_Illicia GOLD, Salt Lake City, Utah
13 articles 0 photos 247 comments

Favorite Quote:
"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people angry and been widely regarded as a bad idea."
--Douglas Adams


I met you at the bookstore
You were flipping through pages
Encompassed in a jumble of words
All mashed together in Times New Roman font

Your blue eyes were warm and kind
And it was kindness that I so needed
I saw the words spill from your lips
As you said “hello” in Times New Roman font

Your warm smile matched your scratchy tweed jacket
That always reminded me of the 19th Century, more or less
Its individual threads worn but tidy
Like the unwavering lines of Times New Roman font

I read your story cover to cover
It spanned through journeys forgotten by time
From snow-capped mountains to roaring rivers
Line by line you trekked in Times New Roman font

You comforted me when I felt wretched
When I wished I could crumble and burst
Become the dusty, intangible words I stood for
Etched into me in Times New Roman Font

I picked you up in the bookstore
And I listened as you told me your tale
But you were only a character, not even real
Your paper heart beating in Times New Roman Font

And worse, you died, in the midst of your story
Not even at the end; a disgrace, really
And I cried in the bookstore between your dusty pages
As you uttered your final words in Times New Roman font


The author's comments:
This is the story of a young girl who falls in love with a character who she reads in a book, who happens to die in the middle of the story.

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This article has 26 comments.


on Feb. 12 2014 at 10:24 pm
Stella_Val_Illicia GOLD, Salt Lake City, Utah
13 articles 0 photos 247 comments

Favorite Quote:
"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people angry and been widely regarded as a bad idea."
--Douglas Adams

You should add more to Waved Albatross! I really love it, and now I'm dying to know what happens next!

on Dec. 30 2013 at 9:04 pm
Stella_Val_Illicia GOLD, Salt Lake City, Utah
13 articles 0 photos 247 comments

Favorite Quote:
"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people angry and been widely regarded as a bad idea."
--Douglas Adams

I'm glad someone can :)

IMSteel BRONZE said...
on Dec. 30 2013 at 12:28 pm
IMSteel BRONZE, Wallhala, South Carolina
2 articles 0 photos 128 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Learn from Yesterday, live for Today, hope for Tomorrow" - Albert Einstein

"Brevity is the Soul of Wit" - The Which

That's the coolest thing anyone's ever said to me. Thank you! I don't really keep up with Teen Ink much either, but I'll definitely keep up with your work. You really have talent.

on Dec. 29 2013 at 10:57 am
JulePearl BRONZE, Harlingen, Texas
2 articles 0 photos 29 comments
Haha, I get so sad, like unrealistically sad, about fictional character deaths too!! I probably like this poem so much cause I can totally relate to it.

on Dec. 28 2013 at 6:58 pm
Stella_Val_Illicia GOLD, Salt Lake City, Utah
13 articles 0 photos 247 comments

Favorite Quote:
"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people angry and been widely regarded as a bad idea."
--Douglas Adams

Thank you so much! This is really about my own attachment to a fictional character who dies, because I'm just sentimental that way.

on Dec. 28 2013 at 6:57 pm
Stella_Val_Illicia GOLD, Salt Lake City, Utah
13 articles 0 photos 247 comments

Favorite Quote:
"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people angry and been widely regarded as a bad idea."
--Douglas Adams

I haven't been keeping up much with teenink recently (as of my discovery of fanfiction *sheepish look*) but the Waved Albatross was one of my favorite stories on the site, so I'm going to try and keep up with that one while I'm on break.

on Dec. 28 2013 at 6:38 pm
JulePearl BRONZE, Harlingen, Texas
2 articles 0 photos 29 comments
Wow! Love this poem! It has a totally unique story behind it. I love how you brought out the "New Times Roman" idea throughout. It's like a constant, sad reminder that the character fell in love with a fictional character. Good work! 

IMSteel BRONZE said...
on Dec. 28 2013 at 12:54 pm
IMSteel BRONZE, Wallhala, South Carolina
2 articles 0 photos 128 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Learn from Yesterday, live for Today, hope for Tomorrow" - Albert Einstein

"Brevity is the Soul of Wit" - The Which

Whoops, I posted twice; I thought it hadn't posted my last one.

IMSteel BRONZE said...
on Dec. 28 2013 at 12:52 pm
IMSteel BRONZE, Wallhala, South Carolina
2 articles 0 photos 128 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Learn from Yesterday, live for Today, hope for Tomorrow" - Albert Einstein

"Brevity is the Soul of Wit" - The Which

Yes, and thank you so much for offering to read them, I'll be sure read any stories you post, just let me know. PS. Please excuse the errors in the next chapters of the Voyages of the Waved Albatross, the draft they came from is very old, and so they are not "up to date," so to speak. Thanks again!

IMSteel BRONZE said...
on Dec. 28 2013 at 12:48 pm
IMSteel BRONZE, Wallhala, South Carolina
2 articles 0 photos 128 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Learn from Yesterday, live for Today, hope for Tomorrow" - Albert Einstein

"Brevity is the Soul of Wit" - The Which

That depends on how many you've read. I currently have six chapters up, and if you haven't read them, then yes, I have posted some more. Thank you so much for offering to read them, I'll be sure to read any stories you post, just let me know.

on Dec. 26 2013 at 6:17 pm
Stella_Val_Illicia GOLD, Salt Lake City, Utah
13 articles 0 photos 247 comments

Favorite Quote:
"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people angry and been widely regarded as a bad idea."
--Douglas Adams

Thanks so much! Do you have any more chapters of the Adventures of the Waved Albatross up?

IMSteel BRONZE said...
on Dec. 26 2013 at 12:41 pm
IMSteel BRONZE, Wallhala, South Carolina
2 articles 0 photos 128 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Learn from Yesterday, live for Today, hope for Tomorrow" - Albert Einstein

"Brevity is the Soul of Wit" - The Which

This was awesome! It reads almost like a Shel Silverstien poem, except that it's not comedic, :). Keep writing!

on Aug. 3 2013 at 11:50 am
Stella_Val_Illicia GOLD, Salt Lake City, Utah
13 articles 0 photos 247 comments

Favorite Quote:
"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people angry and been widely regarded as a bad idea."
--Douglas Adams

Thanks! I think there are a lot of people who feel like this... namely people who do a whole lot of reading :)

on Aug. 3 2013 at 12:35 am
nelehjr DIAMOND, Lingle, Wyoming
60 articles 11 photos 379 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.

*Aplauds poetry by snapping* Wow. This is a brand new concept. I like it. There aren't many people willing to confese they fell in love with a fictional character in a book (movies completly different ;) ) Brave, my freind. Brave. I love this. The emotion in the words. Wonderful. Great job.

on May. 29 2013 at 6:31 pm
Stella_Val_Illicia GOLD, Salt Lake City, Utah
13 articles 0 photos 247 comments

Favorite Quote:
"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people angry and been widely regarded as a bad idea."
--Douglas Adams

Wow, thank you so much!

on May. 29 2013 at 12:04 pm
RoyalCorona SILVER, Grand Rapids, Michigan
7 articles 0 photos 290 comments

Favorite Quote:
All of us fave failed to match our dream of perfection. I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible. -William Faulkner

This is a masterpiece!! This is such a good poem, it's so amazing!! I love this so much, I am going to add it to my favorites, I have read it already four times. It was so heartbreakingly sad because I know how that feels, to feel like a character is real and it is such a tragedy when they die. Nostalgia is right now tickling my stomach and my typing is horrid, I have to keep on backspacing to spell everything right!! Thank you so much for writing this!

on May. 19 2013 at 9:42 am
Stella_Val_Illicia GOLD, Salt Lake City, Utah
13 articles 0 photos 247 comments

Favorite Quote:
"In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people angry and been widely regarded as a bad idea."
--Douglas Adams

Thank you! 

on May. 18 2013 at 10:59 pm
GuardianoftheStars GOLD, Shongaloo, Louisiana
17 articles 0 photos 495 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Let's tell young people the best books are yet to be written; the best painting, the best government, the best of everything is yet to be done by them."
-John Erslcine

This is BRILLIANT! Oh I love this so much (I think this might be one of my favorites of yours).  I loved everything about it! The flow and the wording were wonderful! 5 stars! :D

on Apr. 10 2013 at 9:28 am
writinggirl20 PLATINUM, Marksville, Louisiana
37 articles 0 photos 52 comments

Favorite Quote:
What I say only comes straight from my mind, i do not judge. (a quote by me)

this is beautiful, just paste the link even though but i just finished reading it :)  

on Apr. 1 2013 at 4:07 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
“If you're losing your soul and you know it, then you've still got a soul left to lose”
― Charles Bukowski

What a clever way to express something all book-readers feel when their favorite character dies! 5/5!