Poemsia

by Lang Leav

  “What the hell, Jess!”

  “Did I just see what I think—” She turned to me. “Vare, look!”

  She pointed at a row of flat-screens showing an episode of E! News with a jubilant Karla Swann sitting next to Henrietta Blue. The crawl at the bottom of the screen read “Karla Swann engaged.”

  Karla was answering a question posed to her by the host. “The moment I read the poem,” she said, “I just felt this crazy love for my girl.”

  Henrietta reached over and took her hand. “Then she showed me the poem and said, ‘This is so us.’”

  Karla beamed at her. “So I said, ‘Hey, what are we waiting for? We know we want to spend the rest of our lives together.’”

  The host smiled dreamily. “Oh, that’s so romantic. Who proposed?”

  “Actually, I’m not really sure,” Karla laughed.

  “We pretty much proposed to each other at the same time,” Henrietta confirmed.

  “And to seal the deal, Karla, you posted the poem on Instagram. Is that right?” The camera panned over Karla’s Instagram page, and there it was. The poem from Poemsia captioned with, “OMG just found my wedding vows!!! Thanks @veritywolf.”

  I gasped and grabbed Jess’s arm.

  “Yeah, and everything went kind of nuts after that.”

  “You can say that again. The post only went up last night and already has half a million likes!”

  “Oh, it’s probably because the poem is so beautiful,” Karla said modestly.

  “Who is the author?”

  “Verity Wolf—she’s amazing! I found her through Poetry Seen and love everything she writes.” Karla sighed and clutched at her chest. Suddenly, the television screen was filled with an image of my Instagram page.

  “That can’t be mine,” I said, numbly. “I don’t have ten thousand followers.”

  “Check your phone!” Jess cried.

  “It’s dead—remember? That’s why we’re here!”

  “For Chrissake!” Jess fumbled in her pocket and took hers out.

  “OK,” she said deadpan. “OK, we need to stay calm. We’re in a public place. Let’s not freak out.”

  I glanced at her screen and nearly passed out. Sure enough, my following count was now in the tens of thousands.

  “What do we do?” I said, panicked.

  “Why are you asking me?” Jess’s voice was shrill.

  “Jess!”

  “Vare!”

  “Oh my God.”

  “Oh shit!”

  “Look!” I cried, pulling up my sweater sleeve. There were goose bumps along my arm.

  She did the same.

  “Holy crap,” I breathed.

  “Mother of God.”

  We looked at each other, eyes wide and bewildered. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

  “Jess, could this be a joke? Am I dreaming?”

  She reached over and pinched the top of my arm.

  “Ouch!” I glared at her.

  She grinned. “Nope—not a dream!”

  At Last Chance, Jess and I stood at the counter relaying the exciting news to Jonesy. It was just beginning to sink in.

  “Then we saw Verity’s Instagram on all the television screens, and she was like, ‘I don’t have ten thousand followers.’”

  “We were calm, though; we didn’t lose our shit.”

  “But I have to admit it’s mainly because we were in shock.”

  “We’re not now.”

  Jess and I looked at each other and squealed at the top of our lungs.

  Jonesy grinned. “OK, I guess you had to get that out of your system.”

  “It’s, like, trending on Twitter and everything.”

  “How did she find your poem?” Jonesy asked.

  I cleared my throat. “Ah, well, it’s not my poem, which kind of sucks. I found it in this old book, Poemsia.”

  “But you did make that pretty damn clear, right from the start,” Jess pointed out.

  I nodded. “Karla said she loves all the other poems on my Instagram, and they are most definitely mine.”

  “Vare’s Instagram is insane at the moment!”

  “Congratulations, girls. Verity, don’t forget me when you’re famous.”

  I reached over and pinched his freckled cheek. “You? Never.”

  He grinned.

  “Anyway, dear Jonesy,” said Jess, “we’d love to stay and chat, but we’ll need our coffees to go. Vare and I have some serious work to do!”

  Seven

  “Verity Wolf—that’s gotta be a pen name, right?” I was on a FaceTime call with Sierra, a twenty-something journalist from BuzzFeed. She had ash-gray hair in a messy bun; wide, expressive eyes; and upturned lips that looked ready to spill over into laughter. I’d been nervous before our call, but her funny and bubbly personality had put me right at ease.

  “Yes, Verity Wolf is my actual name. Like, it’s the one I was born with,” I explained.

  “Wow, that is so cool—I love it! My name is just, ugh, lame.” She rolled her eyes.

  “But Sierra is such a pretty name!”

  “Oh, please, I sound like a Crayola. But we’re not here to talk about me, right? Let’s talk about you.”

  I smiled. “OK.”

  “Excellent! It’s been about twenty-four hours since Karla Swann shared your post on her Instagram. How did you hear the good news?”

  “Funny thing is I hadn’t checked my Instagram for ages because my charger died, and I didn’t have a spare one. So I was in JB Hi-Fi—an electronics store—with my best friend, Jess, and we saw it on E! News.”

  “Oh my God! That must have been so surreal.”

  “It felt like something out of a sci-fi movie!”

  “How did Karla find your Instagram?”

  “Poetry Seen regrammed me awhile back.”

  She nodded. “Right! That makes total sense. Karla is a huge poetry fan, so of course she’d be following them. What self-respecting poetry fanatic doesn’t, right? They have a star-studded fan base, and it’s no secret celebs are playing their part in making poetry mainstream. Tell me, how are you handling your newfound fame?”

  “I don’t think it’s really sunk in. I keep expecting to wake up.”

  “Oh, I can imagine! And the poem Karla posted—what inspired you to write something so beautiful?”

  I stopped. “Oh, um, I didn’t write that poem.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “I’m sorry, Verity—did you just say you didn’t write the poem?”

  “Um, no. I didn’t.” I then gave her a quick explanation about Poemsia. “I mean, I literally said it wasn’t mine in the caption, but I guess no one really notices things like that now.”

  “I see! That’s totally understandable. Yes, things are always getting misattributed. It’s an easy mistake to make, right?”

  “You know, I did leave a comment on their post but—”

  She roared with laughter. “You and about a thousand other people, right?”

  “I know, I know—a long shot. I’m pretty sure they haven’t seen it.”

  “I had a quick look through your Instagram this morning, and coming from a self-professed poetry nerd, every single poem is as good as the next. That’s my honest opinion. Other than the poem you found in Poemsia, are all the others written by you?”

  “Every last one.”

  “Wow,” she breathed. “Besides Mena Rhodes, I can’t think of another modern poet who gets me like you do. I am so happy you’ve been discovered, even if it’s in a roundabout way. Your talent deserves to be shared with the world.”

  “Oh my gosh, thank you!”

  “Thank you for your time, Verity. You can now count me among your thousands of adoring fans. I’ll be waiting eagerly for your next post!”

 
; I got off the phone and looked up at Jess, who was sitting cross-legged on the window seat across from me. She had her laptop balanced on a cushion, and her fingers were flying across the keyboard.

  “Do you think I did OK?” I asked anxiously.

  “You’re a natural!” she sang, not even pausing to look up. “By the way, I’ve set up a new email for you, veritywolfwrites at gmail, like we discussed. I’ve hooked it up to your Instagram, and you’re already getting a whole bunch of emails.”

  “Wow! Anything good?”

  “A couple of media things—the rest is fan mail.”

  “Should we set up a Twitter?”

  “Good idea! I’ll get on that now.”

  “You are a machine!” I said fondly.

  When we got back from Last Chance, we made a to-do list and got to work. I was trying to keep from feeling overwhelmed. It was as though more had happened in the past few hours than in my entire life, and in the midst of all that, my mind kept flitting over to another development. If Karla hadn’t shared my post, it probably would have been the only thing on my mind. Right on cue, that development walked in.

  “Hey, girls.” Sash raised his hand in that cute, awkward wave. He had a tool belt around his waist, and God, he looked good. I literally wanted to tear his clothes off with my teeth. He had come in to help Pop fix the vent in his office, the one that kept making a rattling noise.

  “Busy day, huh?” he said. “Your grandad has been filling me in on all the exciting news.”

  “Can you believe it?” Jess looked up at him. “Our little Verity Wolf, an overnight sensation.”

  “That’s pretty damn cool,” said Sash, with a big grin.

  “It’s kind of freaky,” I admitted.

  “Looks like you’re handling it OK.”

  “I’m lucky to have Jess—she’s dynamite.” I planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

  “Have you uploaded a new poem today?” Jess asked, glancing at our to-do list.

  I shook my head. “I know, I know. I need some new material. But it’s hard to write on demand; I need inspiration.”

  “Then get inspired.” Jess looked pointedly at Sash, and despite how much she was helping me, I wanted to murder her. Thank God he was distracted by a window on the far wall where the screen had come loose.

  “Oh shit!” Jess said suddenly, her voice hushed and urgent.

  “What is it?”

  “An email just came through from Carry Way Press.”

  “Aren’t they the ones who—” I started.

  “Publish Mena Rhodes? Yes.”

  In a flash, I was on my feet, and Jess turned her screen to face me.

  Sash came up behind me and let out a low whistle. “Holy. Christ.”

  “Is it true, Jess? Are they—” I stopped and put my hand over my mouth. Tears filled my eyes.

  Jess looked fixedly at me, nodding slowly. “You’ve just been offered your first publishing deal.”

  Eight

  Jess and I sat opposite Mei Lyn at her large oak table while her team of women marched briskly in and out of her office, high heels clacking on wood floors, piling stacks of paperwork on her desk. Before she got her law degree, Mei Lyn had worked as a talent agent, and now I couldn’t think of a better person to represent me.

  We listened as she took us through the contract from Carry Way Press. She spoke in long, rambling sentences like an auctioneer. The only way you could get a word in was to interrupt her.

  “All in all, seems like everything is in order, and the couple of things I need to straighten out should be sorted by this afternoon. I’ll make sure they get into section two—”

  “Mum! Seriously, this is Carry Way. We’re happy to sign anything they want. Why give them a hard time?”

  Mei Lyn frowned. “Jess, you’re dealing with a corporation. Remember that it’s my job to make sure Verity is protected. You’d be surprised how tricky these things get, and that’s why there are people like me whose sole purpose is to look out for the interests of my client. Mmm, I know it’s all very exciting, and you girls get carried away too easily—”

  “Honestly, Mei Lyn, I’m happy to sign the contract. I’m sure—”

  “Ah! Ah! Ah!” She stuck her palm up. “I’m handling it, girls. What I’m asking for is more than fair. I’m just making sure our Verity is safe and sound. Yes, now where was I?” She snapped her fingers twice, and a young girl with a pale, eager face came rushing in. “Donna, latte and muffin now, please. My blood sugar is getting low again.”

  “Right away.”

  Mei Lyn looked at us. “You girls want anything?”

  We shook our heads.

  “So, yes, young lady, yes, you are hot, hot, hot at the moment. I’ve been following the news, and you have cachet, and now’s the time to make the most of all this hype. You’re OK to get your manuscript to them by the date specified?”

  “Yes, it’s ready to go.”

  Jess let out a squeal. “I can’t believe my own best friend is going to be a published poet!”

  Mei Lyn looked at her daughter as if seeing her for the first time. “Please, this is a place of business, not a frat house. Now if you’ll excuse me, girls, I have other work to do.”

  “Thanks, Mei Lyn. I really appreciate your help.”

  “She’s charging you,” Jess blurted.

  Mei Lyn winked. “And I’m worth every penny.”

  That night, Jess’s artwork was part of a group exhibition at her college, showcasing reimagined movie posters. With everything going on, I had no idea how she found time for her design work. I suspected my dear friend was a lot more like Mei Lyn than she would admit.

  The show was held at Creep, a gallery down the road from the college. The small, cramped space was packed with arty types and students who came for the free beer. Jess looked radiant in a black strapless dress and nude heels as we pushed through the crowd looking for her poster. Suddenly, she stopped and clutched my arm. “There’s mine!”

  I scanned her work and had to grin. Even though the poster was all imagery and had no text at all, I knew at once which movie it was. “Finding Nemo!” I exclaimed.

  Jess looked delighted. “You got it!” She did a swimming motion with her arms. “Just keep on swimming, swimming, swimming.”

  “It’s awesome!” I stood back to take it all in. The entire poster was made up of sketches of every sea creature imaginable, and it took me awhile to spot Nemo in the upper left-hand corner. “I just found Nemo! And there’s Dory and Nemo’s dad. Oh, and Bruce the Shark! How long did it take you to draw this?”

  “I scanned in some doodles from my old notebooks and filled in the rest.”

  I reached over and hugged her. “I love it! I’m so proud of you.”

  I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Hey, stranger!”

  “Teddy! What brings you here?”

  “We’re sponsoring the event.”

  I caught the label on the beer bottle in his hand.

  “Of course, Deep Sea Diver!”

  “They’re guzzling all our stock.” Tom appeared at his side.

  “Bastards!” Jess joked.

  “We adore your poster,” Teddy declared.

  “How did you know it was mine?” asked Jess, flushing with pleasure.

  Tom waved the exhibition program. “It’s printed right here, along with a glamour shot of you.”

  “It was our favorite artwork, so we looked it up, and I said to Tom, ‘Hey, that girl looks familiar.’”

  “Awww, guys.” Jess beamed from ear to ear.

  Teddy pulled out his phone. “I’m going to get a picture for our Instagram.”

  “Are Sash and Penelope here too?” Jess asked.

  Teddy and Tom exchanged a look.

  “They’ve gone to see Marrow Morrow.”

&
nbsp; “You’re kidding me!” Jess’s mouth fell open.

  When Marrow Morrow premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, most of the audience walked out within the first five minutes. Since then, it’s been a challenge for movie buffs, bloggers, and the rest of the Internet to see how much of the movie they could withstand. Marrow Morrow was said to be so esoteric that no one could make sense of what the movie was about. Half the critics lauded it as a masterpiece, but the other half agreed it was the worst movie ever made.

  “They are brave,” I said.

  Teddy winked. “Thankfully, we managed to dodge the bullet. Poor Sash, I really feel for him. Pen will be in heaven, though. This is her kind of thing.”

  Tom’s phone buzzed loudly. “Oh, speak of the devil!”

  “And what does the devil want?” asked Teddy.

  Tom passed his phone to him, and his eyes lit up. “Looks like they’ve left the movie theater.”

  Jess laughed. “They walked out?”

  “They couldn’t handle it,” Teddy grinned, his fingers tapping at lightning speed on the screen. “I told them where we are, so they’re heading over now.”

  “I still can’t believe they put themselves through it.” Tom laughed. “But you know Sash has always had a soft spot for Pen.”

  My stomach dropped. “He has?”

  “They’re kind of like Ross and Rachel from Friends. Always breaking up and getting back together.”

  I swallowed. “Oh, do you think they still have a chance?”

  Teddy shrugged. “Who knows? With those two, you get the feeling they’re unfinished business.”

  “Jess! Congrats!” boomed a voice from behind us. I looked back to see a man in his late twenties with dark, spiky hair and glasses beaming down at Jess.

  “Oh, hi, Haden,” she said coyly. She turned to us. “This is Haden, my graphic design professor, and these are my friends, Verity, Teddy, and Tom.” She pointed us out as she went, carefully avoiding eye contact with me.

  “Ah, Verity Wolf, the poet. I helped Jess put your book together. She’s told me so much about you.”

  “Really?”

  He flashed me a smile, then leaned in to whisper something in Jess’s ear. He touched her shoulder lightly before disappearing back into the crowd.