11 Comments
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Margaret Ann Silver's avatar

I love seeing Emily here! Like Melanie, I always identified with her more.

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Megan Willome's avatar

I probably would have if I’d read her first. But I read Anne at age 10 and did not read Emily until I was 50.

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Melanie Bettinelli's avatar

I love Emily. I've always identified with quiet Emily more than with fiery red-headed Anne-- though don't get me wrong, I adore Anne too. I do not however like the Dean subplot-- ick!

I love how you've pulled twitterpated out of my childhood memories of Bambi and embroidered it into something that feels a bit more sophisticated and yet that still captures exactly so much of what Bambi was trying to say (all the stuff that goes over your head when you're a kid, but the adults in the audience presumably got.)

"love is all elbows and pollen" is such an evocative phrase.

"you're scribbling free verse

that would wrest a wince from the Wind Woman" is such a lovely Emily-ism and delicious alliteration.

"heartsease" is another delicious word-- I like the implicit echo of heart/hart.

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Megan Willome's avatar

Melanie, I agree with you wholeheartedly on the ick factor of the Dean subplot. I guess it was not as creepy back in the day.

Yes! Let's get all the forest creatures involved in this lovefest.

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Callie R. Feyen's avatar

Hahaha! I KNEW I remembered that phrase. I've been thinking about that title all day. "Where do I know that?" My BFF Emily, that's where! Oh, how I love her.

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Megan Willome's avatar

I have you to thank!

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Katie Brewster's avatar

"how awkward love is in every way"

This post and your poem are spot on, Megan:)

I've always loved that word, twitterpated, too!

Happy almost Valentine's;)

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Megan Willome's avatar

You too, Katie!

I think of the awkwardness more and more as I get older.

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Stephanie Nygaard's avatar

I love Emily! I'm so glad to hear that you do, too. Also, twitterpated is such a great word (from Bambi, right?).

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Megan Willome's avatar

That's the only place I've ever heard it!

And I thought of you when I wrote this post--you who are much better versed in the entire L.M. Montgomery canon.

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Stephanie Nygaard's avatar

I still have much to learn about L. M. Montgomery. 🙂 There are so many who are much more well-versed than me.

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