Bittersweet

Here lies little Ms. Nobody, who lives and breathes for Mr. Someone

His eyes, his hair, his touch

She watches from the other side

But the course of love never did run smooth

She has no right to, she has no right to

Ask for his love.

But here lies little Ms. Nobody, who lives and breathes for Mr. Someone

“How can love be so fruitless, yet so fruitful?”

Yes, I know little Ms. No-one, it can be hard sometimes.

But He did not bless you with beautiful looks and perfect charm

No, you are the perfect personification of impurity

A product of dark chocolate, salty tears and unintended puns

You are unique

But not unique enough

Because the moment those hazelnut eyes dashed with thick eyelashes, darker-than-cappuccino skin and the softest smile that has ever been measured in the world meets yours,

You won’t be able to speak

Because all the words, all the dictionary definitions in the world couldn’t possibly describe the beauty, the love

That’s held in store for him

No, those words would have to be held by something else, because suddenly those cheesy love songs sound real

And for some reason, as crazy as it is, you think that there might be the slimmest, most tiniest,

Most faintest ghost of a chance

That he,

That he…

Oh little Ms. Nobody

What sort of fool are you?

The biggest one I suppose,

For though your heart is crossed in despair

Every time you look away,

He looks to you

 

If fear of rejection overpowers, all hope may be lost.This is what Nana Okamoto has to say about her poem, “Bittersweet“. It addresses topics such as unreciprocated love and fear of rejection. She particularly addresses conformity of society, as in example “But He did not bless you with beautiful looks and perfect charm,”. Here we find the ‘He’ refers to God, and when she mentions the things that the character ‘Little Ms. No-one’ is not, it is apparent that she is no the ideal woman in society’s view. How does fear of rejection stop individuals from expressing their true selves? Above all of the small topics though, Nana utilizes one very specific issue. She mentions moments of self-consciousness and the lack of self-assurance the character experiences. “You are unique… but not unique enough”, and in a key moment of climax, where hope is built up that love may be reciprocated for the central character, confidence is lost once more, although at the very end the message is clear; that the fear of rejection had cost the young woman her happiness with the one she loves. “That he… that he…” But good fortune still exists upon the horizon in the last line of the poem, demonstrating what may be interpreted as either irony, or hope for those who lack self-confidence that they may still have chances for reciprocation in love. But the particularly strong message that may be what Ms. Okamoto was trying to express the most was the very fact that risks must be taken. Steps have to be made to amp up one’s livelihood, because nothing is ever earned without a first action done.