A couplet, as you very well may know, is a poem comprising of two lines that rhyme with each other. The process of creating one has many steps. First, you establish your couplet and what it is to be about. For this example, I will use phoenixes, the fire birds that die and rebirth themselves.
Next idea is to establish what you want your rhyming words to be. It's better to use less generic words like you and me, but for this, we'll use fly and die perhaps — sky because bird, die because it rebirths itself. This step is optional however.
Next, brainstorm ideas. Make sure they are around the same amount of syllables. As such, here is my grand example:
Soaring higher through the sky,
Reborn, start life, again it dies
A bit awkward, but I never called myself a poet.
Couplets can be about anything. They can be about birds, places, people.
And that's where our story starts. It was Friday, the day after the Baudelaires and Quagmires moved into their secret library home. Isadora Elizabeth Quagmire was writing couplets, when she heard a knock at her door.
The bedrooms, due to a number issue, had been split as boys and girls. That left three rooms for guests or whatever else may need a bedroom. That way, it was all even.
Regardless, Isadora answered the door to let in Klaus Baudelaire. As you might recall, in The Alleviating Aftermath , Klaus asked Isadora if at some point, she could teach him to write couplets. At last, they were going to.
Isadora followed Klaus to the living room where they sat on the sofa together. They could hear Duncan, Quigley and Violet engaging in a verbal dilemma over Monopoly, a phrase here meaning 'Duncan was trying to convince Violet that he was moving his own piece and not Quigley's whenever he got a roll that would make him pay rent, while Quigley insisted he was lying', but Isadora and Klaus paid it no attention.
Isadora opened to a page in her commonplace book, and smiled. Klaus read the poem over her shoulder, and smiled too.
I'd rather eat a bowl of vampire bats
Then spend an hour with Carmelita Spats
"This is a good example to start," Isadora said, smiling at the fondness. It was the first couplet she ever told them, after all. "Don't you think?"
Klaus nodded, listening intently.
"So, I'm gonna guide you through this, how I made it, and you'll make one too, is that okay?" She asked, and took his silent nod as yes. "First, pick your topic. In this case, Carmelita. You pick something for your first couplet."
Klaus paused for a few seconds, thinking. He wanted his first couplet to be good, or at least meaningful. "Right now. You teaching me." He finally said, not noticing the soft blush of Isadora's cheeks.
"O-okay. So, you have your topic. Next, any words you want to use in your rhyme? Like here, I used Spats, and tried to find rhymes for it."
"One of our last names, maybe? Or first names, but there might be more rhymes in last names…" Klaus trailed off, trying to count all the rhymes he knew for Klaus, Isadora, Baudelaire, and Quagmire.
"Last names, I've already checked." Isadora said, helping him along.
"When did you check that?" He asked, and Isadora went red.
"B-because, poems about you, Sunny, and Violet. It's easier to use Baudelaire for all of you. And Quagmire makes sense…" Isadora calmly said. Klaus seemed to be at ease with that answer.
"So, Baudelaire or Quagmire." Klaus finally said.
Isadora nodded. "So, the next step is mostly trial and error. Just keep trying other words and phrases until it rolls nicely."
Klaus opened up his commonplace book, turned to a blank page, and took that instruction. He started writing small phrases, scratching them out, and rewriting, trying to find a nice line for the couplet.
Isadora couldn't help but look at him. She couldn't help but notice how cute he looked when he was focusing hard on something.
Something I should be helping with…
Isadora snapped back to reality, a phrase which here means took her head out of the clouds and started guiding and helping Klaus with his wording.
Finally, he triumphantly held up the finished page, and read the poem out loud.
"Together, we make quite a pair / A Quagmire and a Baudelaire. " Klaus recited, and Isadora couldn't help but blush. That was a bit much for her. Quite a pair…
"I'll be right back Klaus, just need to go to the washroom. Be right back." She said, trying to catch her breath. Now or never, Izzy… breathe, think...
Klaus waited. She had been quite some time. His eyes glanced to the commonplace book she had left. He figured he could read some more examples, and started turning through the book.
It would be a stroke of luck
if Coach Genghis were hit by a truck.
To think that Olaf met his timely fate so recently, and that poem wasn't even that old…
Prufrock Prep, goodbye dear school
Goodbye the staff, each one a fool
Klaus smiled at that one. The staff at Prufrock, ranging from Ms. Bass's obsession with the metric system to Vice Principal Nero's terrible violin 'skill', it was nice to be gone.
My romantic side says it's fate
But only dreams will make us date
Klaus's eyebrows raised. This was recent. It was after Prufrock for sure, but who was it about? Klaus felt his heart sink a little. Did Isadora have a crush on someone from Prufrock still?
His eyes and hair, keeps me awake
Each day without, my heart can break
Cares so much, asks for guiding
Does he care, my mind's dividing
As Klaus read the last couplet, he felt himself choke up. He looked at the couplet, and how fresh the ink appeared. This was written not an hour or two ago...
" You're my true love, I'll always care / Klaus and Izzy Baudelaire… " Klaus read very softly to himself. As he read that couplet, he smiled broadly. She…
Klaus had the same feelings since the day they meant, but when she kissed him at Prufrock, he thought nothing of it.
He got up, going to find Isadora — only to be surprised, a word here meaning 'ran into Isadora himself, dropping her commonplace book face up'.
Isadora looked shocked, eyes bouncing from Klaus's face to the commonplace book.
"K-Klaus, I-I'm sorry, I can expl-" Isadora started, but she never finished.
Klaus leaned in quickly, kissing Isadora on the lips, in a deep embrace. Isadora was shocked at first, but returned the kiss deeply. Both of them could feel fireworks going off inside them.
They only separated when they needed air, and when they did, they noticed something important — their siblings were at the table, playing (and arguing over) Monopoly. At least, they were. Duncan and Quigley both looked almost mortified, while Violet seemed really happy.
Klaus and Isadora both merely blushed in response.
"O-ooh… H-Hi, Duncan, Quigley, Violet…" Klaus nervously stammered.
Isadora on the other hand just got redder and redder, stopping at around tomato red, maybe redder.
Quigley and Duncan both looked at each other, pulling a confused Violet along.
Klaus and Isadora looked at each other, enjoying their quick moment of themselves to set something straight.
"So… you like me back?" Isadora asked, both embarrassed and happy.
Klaus nodded. "Since the day we met… U-uh, should we check on the others?"
The two quickly bolted to see the three talking in the hallway in front of the bedrooms. They all had smiles in their faces, proud of their little siblings for finally finding someone.
Duncan and Quigley pulled Klaus into their room, Violet pulling Isadora into hers.
You have likely had embarrassing conversations in your lifetime, but very few compare to having a talk with the guardian of a girl or even guy you may be dating.
Duncan sat Klaus on his bed, while Duncan and Quigley sat on the edge of Duncan's, facing Klaus. Klaus braced for an embarrassing conversation that would likely end in both Quagmire triplets hitting him, at least a little.
"So…" Klaus started, sheepish. "Are you mad at me?"
Duncan laughed, before getting nudged by Quigley. "No." Quigley replied. "If there's anyone that will treat Izzy well, it's you. We trust you."
"After all," Duncan added, "that's what friends are for." He smirked.
"Th-thanks guys… I was wor-"
"But if you EVER hurt our little sister, you'll regret it, clear?" Duncan suddenly said, very serious very quick.
"I-I'll treat her well. Promise." Klaus said, equally serious.
"Oh, and no sleeping with her yet." Quigley added, just to watch Klaus' face go beet red. "Sorry," he added, laughing. "But I had to, heh—hey, stop!"
It was Quigley that got hit by the other two boys, not Klaus.
Violet pulled Isadora into their joint room, and pulled her down next to her on Violet's bed.
"You like Klaus, eh?" She asked, smirking.
"A-are you mad?" Isadora asked. No… not when I find out he likes me back…
"Course not. You're good to him." Violet said, before smiling wide. "I'm surprised neither of you have noticed until now to be honest." She said bluntly, thinking of all the times the two were sweeter than usual to each other. Most people don't kiss guys they just met before threatening situations.
"Looking at it… yeah, kinda…" Isadora blushed, confessing.
"Look. Just don't hurt him. If you mess with Klaus, you mess with me, okay Izzy?"
Isadora simply nodded. "Thanks Violet."
The two hugged tightly, both crying a little.
Finally. Everything is changing for the better. Violet thought.