Introduction

Spoilers ahead.

Poetry is one of humanity’s most elegant forms of literature. A poem is an incredibly versatile type of work; you can make them as short or as long as you want, as simplistic or complex as you want, but at the end of the day, every type of poem can contain rich, meaningful rhetoric and themes.

As many of you know from my recent post on the game, I’ve recently gotten quite into the critically-acclaimed visual novel Doki Doki Literature Club. One of my favorite things about the game is that a large portion of the themes in it, both for the characters and the overall story, is told through (you guessed it) poetry. Through the poems that the in-game Literature Club members write, we get a glimpse at what is going on in each of their heads. But understanding the poems is a challenge in and of itself; most of them are complicated puzzles that the player must analyze and think critically about in order to comprehend the messages within.

In this article, I’m going to go through every poem* that each character writes and deduce what each of them means. Of course, literature is always open to interpretation, so you could argue there is no right answer. However, I believe that I can make a compelling case for each of my analyses.

*I’m going to omit some of the bonus special that have little meaning and the “poems” that aren’t actually poems, as well as poems in the game that aren’t about DDLC itself, like the poems that are clearly references towards what many speculate to be Team Salvato’s next game, Project Libitina.

Okay, everyone! It’s time to share poems…

Sayori

What better character to start with than with the L̴̨̧̝̹̟̜͍͎͇̘͕̫͈̾͑͋̇͐̅̉́̑̌͑̕͘ͅi̴͍̰̺̺̺͙̩͓͔̍̄̉͐͊̂͗̄̊̌͒͘͜t̷̢͉̥̪͉͔̜͕̞͖͕̲͔̆̿̔̇̒̔͜͜ę̵̡̧̲̱̼̠̫͎̬̦̒͗͐͑̅̐͂̚r̴͇̳̰̪̲̘̥͉̬̜̪̫͎̲̎͂́̅̒͜͠a̵͉͎̲͑̆͋̕͝ṭ̶͕̭̱̜̾̄̀͐͒̔͌̀u̸̹̼̺̝̪͔̔̊́̀̽͜͜͠r̶̰̬̱̜̣̣͆͂͑̂͘͠ͅe̵̛͓̘̗̝̻̻̭̣̻͎͒̆ ̶͈̻̣̔̀̀̎͌̈́͠C̴̩̭̊̓͛͘͠l̷̨̛̹̑̄̕ư̴̫̞͓̜̦̯͚͛͐͑̅͗̍̎͐͝͝b̵̢̼̟͉͕̪̯͍̬̊̈̿̈́̂͘͜͠ ̸̢̬̳̗͍̟͍͎͈̽́̍͘͜͠ͅP̸̢̛̞͖̆̈̀́̀̀͐̒̌͐͜͝r̶̛̞̗̟͎͉̮̉̀̋͑͗̓̽͋͘ȩ̶̟̫̻̖̼̫̠͉̳̾̓̓š̵̡̛̝̩͎͔͉̭̻̐̈́͆́̀̀̍͜i̷̧̹̘͗͐̈͐̈̎̈́d̸̢̻̫͙̻̗̘͒͜ę̴̨̡̳̣̮̤͕̤͉̖̳̋̉̎̍͋̊̽̒͐̉̌̈̚͝ň̵̡͉͎̱̯̫̳͓͚̘̯̽̔́͗́̾͐̈̍͋t̶̨̥̝̰̑̉͂̀̈̿̊͒̿̈́͛?̵̢̖̠͙̮̘̞̲̼̖̲̭̤̱͚̿̽͗͊̀̏́̀̉̚͘͠͝ sweet cinnamon bun Sayori?

If you’ve paid attention to my Twitter lately or just got back from the article I linked above, you probably know that Sayori is my favorite character in DDLC because of how much I can relate to her. It’s not surprising, then, that I love her poetry too — though, reading them makes me sad, since just like their author, they’re not quite as cheery and happy as they initially come off as. But who says bittersweet can’t be beautiful?

Dear Sunshine The way you glow through my blinds in the morning

It makes me feel like you missed me.

Kissing my forehead to help me out of bed.

Making me rub the sleepy from my eyes. Are you asking me to come out and play?

Are you trusting me to wish away a rainy day?

I look above. The sky is blue.

It’s a secret, but I trust you too. If it wasn’t for you, I could sleep forever.

But I’m not mad. I want breakfast.

This one appears pretty straightforward at a glance — Sayori is personifying the sun, addressing it and explaining how it helps her wake up before asking it some cute questions before ending the poem with a humorous line about early-morning hunger (“I made eggs and toast!” is the reply we get when the in-game protagonist mentions this line).

However, one part sticks out in particular to me: “Are you trusting me to wish away a rainy day?”

This is the very first hint we get that Sayori is going through depression. Instead of asking the sun if it was going to wash away a rainy day — since it’s, you know, the sun — Sayori instead questions if the sun is expecting her to do that, as if it’s her duty to cheer up others.

A common trait among people who are depressed is exactly this sentiment. Depressed folk often see themselves as worthless or a burden to others, so they counteract that by disregarding their own feelings and trying to cheer everyone else up instead. This is arguably why many comedians and entertainers have suffered from depression. It’s a really deep and complex topic to dive into, and I’m laughably unqualified to do so. But, as someone who suffers from some depression myself, I can say that Sayori’s depression feels very accurate in this regard. This theme gets explored more directly in her next poem.

Bottles I pop off my scalp like the lid of a cookie jar.

It’s the secret place where I keep all my dreams.

Little balls of sunshine, all rubbing together like a bundle of kittens

I reach inside with my thumb and forefinger and pluck one out.

It’s warm and tingly.

But there’s no time to waste! I put it in a bottle to keep it safe.

And I put the bottle on the shelf with all of the other bottles.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts in bottles, all in a row. My collection makes me lots of friends.

Each bottle a starlight to make amends.

Sometimes my friend feels a certain way.

Down comes a bottle to save the day. Night after night, more dreams.

Friend after friend, more bottles.

Deeper and deeper my fingers go.

Like exploring a dark cave, discovering the secrets hiding in the nooks and crannies.

Digging and digging.

Scraping and scraping. I blow dust off my bottle caps.

It doesn’t feel like time elapsed.

My empty shelf could use some more.

My friends look through my locked front door. Finally, all done. I open up, and in come my friends.

In they come, in such a hurry. Do they want my bottles that much?

I frantically pull them from the shelf, one after the other.

Holding them out to each and every friend.

Each and every bottle.

But every time I let one go, it shatters against the tile between my feet.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts in shards, all over the floor. They were supposed to be for my friends, my friends who aren’t smiling.

They’re all shouting, pleading. Something.

But all I hear is echo, echo, echo, echo, echo

Inside my head.

This one is heartbreaking. What initially starts off as a warm, cute poem about sharing positivity ends up spiraling into a frantic search for happiness as Sayori desperately tries to dig deep into the depths of her feelings to try and find genuine joy. As I said for the previous poem, Sayori has put an expectation on herself to cheer everyone else up. Her feelings in this poem are a direct result of that: by being so selfless, Sayori’s mental state has deteriorated to the point where she no longer feels any happiness about herself.

In terms of form, I do really like how this poem’s stanzas are structured. Rhyme scheme wise, the poem is designed so that the lines in the second and fourth stanzas rhyme, while the first and third stanza’s lines do not. The final stanza also doesn’t rhyme, which breaks the “ABAB” stanza pattern the rest of the poem follows and ends the piece with a blunt, solemn conclusion.

% Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of my head. Get out of

Get.

Out.

Of.

My.

Head. Get out of my head before I do what I know is best for you.

Get out of my head before I listen to everything she said to me.

Get out of my head before I show you how much I love you.

Get out of my head before I finish writing this poem. But a poem is never actually finished.

It just stops moving.

Well, if you thought “Bottles” was sad, then boy, “%” sure is a punch to the face.

There’s not really much to say about the repeated ‘Get out of my head.” phrases, other then the fact that we’re seeing a written representation of Sayori losing her mind. Both the quartet and couplet that follow, though, are packed with meaning.

“Get out of my head before I do what I know is best for you.” refers to Sayori contemplating killing herself because she believes that it would be for the best if she were to disappear from the protagonist’s life and stop burdening him.

“Get out of my head before I listen to everything she said to me.” is clearly a reference to the moment in Act 1 where Monika whispers in Sayori’s ear in the Literature Club on the day that she’s noticeably downcast. It is implied that Monika said something awful to her in order to try and worsen her condition and push her towards suicide indirectly (which Sayori unfortunately goes through with). That bitch.

S̴̺̬̣̭̮̞͉̙̔̀̒̅̀͐̋̊̇͒̕͘̕h̷̗̰̤̟̙͉͍̼̭̣͎̻͕̃̾é̶̢̝̩̝̹̂̂̾͌͝’̴̯̫̭͇̩̙̜̞̯͉͂̂̾ͅs̶̬̹̫͎̻̗̰̜͇͉̙͈̓̇̈͂́́̃͛̀̕͜͝͝ ̶̟̹̾̽͌̊̓́͛͊̓̑̂͘͠n̸̬͕̗͖̒̓͗́̀̑͒̾̏̓͂́̈́͘ö̶̧͎̻̠̺̼̘̳̮́́͂̉̅̈́́̕t̵̢̧̫̞̩̼̮̹͎̟̰͊ ̷̨͙̜̯̘͖̠̙̟̙͖̫͕̇̓̅̒͐̏͌ȩ̵̢̛̙̜̹͉̼̻̟͓̰̣̗̓̈́͂̂̉̓̅ͅv̸̠̱̜̠̟̠̣̺̝̼̪̠̤̩͒̅̏͌̕ȩ̷̹̗̺̘̯̙̗͎̲̳͔̟́̍̇͑͗̿n̵̙̺͕̘̹̟̬̞̟̜̓̒̒͆̊̾̈́̐̔͒̑͑̌͝ͅ ̷̙̭̓͛r̴̢̘̘͎̤̳͕͖͕̼͎̦̰͌̐̔̒͐͜͝ę̵̪̮̺͚͇̭̙̩̜̺̉̈̏̅̂͌̎ä̴̡̡̢̛̗͍̖͚̪̠̝̘͍̼́̐̈́̀͂̇͆́́̈͒͒̄͗͜ͅl̴̰̫̪̼͇̮̝̳̳̎̈̃͆͒́͌̄͝͠.̵̝̬̘̣̤̺̤̩̝̟̗̍̓̓̎̽͑̓̚ ̶̢̲̳͇̺̜̯͎̀͊W̴̟̦̯͙̗̯͒̀̂̂͑̅́͊͘ͅḧ̸̥́͛͛̑̍̋̀̿͋̓̂͂͘͠o̵̢̢̢̱̠̓̔̑̈́͂̇̅̊͝͝ ̵̥̣̫͈̫̤̮̟̻̩̽̇̅̅̄͌ć̵̺̻̗̰̞͎͎͔͕͓̀̈́̐̏ͅȧ̶̭̳̭̪̫̒̎͋̎̍͒̈̀̕͘r̵̨̛̩̠̟̖̙̫̙̰͎̗͎̣͇̖͐̓́̇̿̏̂̿̈́ȅ̷̪̪̫͇̖͖̣͈͈̰̰̫̙͗̄̋̓̈̕͝͝s̷̯͍̥͎̤̫͕̉́͐̋́͜?̷̨̜̩͉̱̮̬̳̙̥̙̮̂́̓

“Get out of my head before I show you how much I love you.” to me reads as “I will kill myself so that you can forget about me and be happy.” Again, she has it in her mind that she’s nothing but a burden on others, especially the protagonist.

“Get out of my head before I finish writing this poem.” seems to be Sayori using the poem as an allegory for her life. “Finishing the poem” is a poetic way of saying “killing myself and escaping my depression”.

Lastly, we have the final two lines:

“But a poem is never actually finished. It just stops moving.”

I see this couplet as Sayori solemnly saying that her depression is something she can’t truly escape from, even in death. She’ll simply just “stop moving” and die.

After reading this poem in-game, you rush to her house only to find her lifeless corpse dangling from the ceiling on a noose. A moment which left me a sobbing mess for over ten minutes. Thus, the sweetest and kindest member of the Literature Club was gone forever.

Next up is Ḩ̷͚̺̟͖̯̹̋̚ō̶̢̥̩͌w̴̢̭̭͇̟̝̥̙̭͎̖͑͑͒̍̈́̾̏̓͗̾̚͝ ̸̦́͛͆a̶̢̮̪̘̱͙̥̼̯͇̖͖͊̓͑̔̐̿͌̋̏̓͝b̸̛̬̮̥͉̗̘̄̌̉̄̀́͑̆͜ỏ̵̙̼̓̈́̅́́̚ų̸̧̨̼̤̙̞̻͇̰̩̻̩̇̈́̇̆̈́͌̊̕ͅṭ̵̭̝̼̯̀̈́̈́̋ ̷͎͈̼̱̭͕̯͕͙̞̩̩̈̊͑̈́̆̒̉̋̀̈́̕͝ͅm̶̧̡̹̪͍̘̳̩͇̮̞̯̻̖͂̊͊e̴̟̩̯̎̀̏̈͂̑̃̽̕͝?̷̧͈̣͕͆̃̈́̽̄̒̿̒̚̚͝ Yuri.

Yuri

Yuri’s poems are mind-numbingly complex. While Sayori and Natsuki, who we’ll cover later, prefer simple language, Yuri loves to use rich vocabulary for her work. Because of this, the meaning of Yuri’s poems can be difficult to decipher, but as an aspiring English major, I love a good challenge. Also, hoo boy. Once you figure these poems out, there’s a lot of rhetoric within that points to Yuri’s fear of judgement and her self-doubt. Let’s get started.

Ghost Under the Light The tendrils of my hair illuminate beneath the amber glow.

Bathing.

It must be this one.

The last remaining streetlight to have withstood the test of time.

The last yet to be replaced by the sickening blue-green of the future.

I bathe. Calm; breathing air of the present but living in the past.

The light flickers.

I flicker back.

Despite being one of the shortest poems in DDLC, this one was the most difficult for me to figure out. After reading it and re-reading it for about twenty minutes, I think I’ve unlocked the mystery.

The ghost in the poem is Yuri, the “last remaining streetlight” is the Literature Club, and the “blue-green of the future” is a hazy place where Yuri feels judged and disliked by others for her unorthodox hobbies and passions. In other words, I see this poem as a representation of how Yuri tries to be invisible to the world, yet she enjoys the club as it’s the only place of solace she has; an amber glow amidst sickening blue-green. She “bathes” in the club and in the friendship with the other members because of that. It’s all she has.

I think the reason why the light flickers is because Yuri is afraid that eventually, the Literature Club will no longer be this place of solace. The flickering light represents her fear of this beginning to happen, and her flickering back is a sign that if that becomes true, then she’ll start to falter in response.

The Raccoon It happened in the dead of night while I was slicing bread for a guilty snack.

My attention was caught by the scuttering of a raccoon outside my window.

That was, I believe, the first time I noticed my strange tendencies as an unusual

human.

I gave the raccoon a piece of bread, my subconscious well aware of the consequences.

Well aware that a raccoon that is fed will always come back for more.

The enticing beauty of my cutting knife was the symptom.

The bread, my hungry curiosity.

The raccoon, an urge. The moon increments its phase and reflects that much more light off of my cutting

knife.

The very same light that glistens in the eyes of my raccoon friend.

I slice the bread, fresh and soft. The raccoon becomes excited.

or perhaps I’m merely projecting my emotions onto the newly-satisfied animal. The raccoon has taken to following me.

You could say that we’ve gotten quite used to each other.

The raccoon becomes hungry more and more frequently, so my bread is always handy.

Every time I brandish my cutting knife the raccoon shows me its excitement.

A rush of blood. Classic Pavlovian conditioning. I slice the bread. And I feed myself again.

This is, in my opinion, one of the creepier poems in the game. It’s not entirely clear at first, but this poem is nothing but an eerie representation of Yuri’s habit of cutting herself.

The raccoon represents her urge to cut herself. The “bread” isn’t bread at all; rather, it’s flesh. Despite knowing how it is “unusual” and being “aware of the consequences”, Yuri makes the decision to feed her “hungry curiosity”. Because of it, the “raccoon” sticks with her now, and by continuing to indulge in cutting, Yuri only makes the problem worse.

I̵͈̰̤̥͔̞̿́̿̚͠t̸͖͍̪̤͎̰̜̀͋̌̓́̔͐͠͠ ̷̧̰̠͚̩̬̝̟̠͇̥̭̦͋̄̃̅̏̿̎̕̕m̵̙̦̟̻͊̂̐̽̽́̍̿̃̃ͅi̸̡̨̤͕͉̺͉͕͉͍̽͆͘ͅg̸̲̦͗͑̍̉̍ḩ̵̛͍͎͙̰͖̠͇̟̈́͂͌̊̃̓̂̔̽̚͜͠͝ͅt̶̟̩̤̩͈͍͇̤͙̃̀̐̆͗͝ ̶̯̙̩̞̞͑e̶̢̛̛͇̺̽̒̇̋͐̑́̈́̀͐͘v̴̱̙͚̭͙̊̈́́̀́͛̐̈́̾ę̵͉͎̯͖̰̻̌̀̌̋̓̇̒͆̎̌̏̌̓̀n̶̡̩̘͎̪̖̭̫̜̽͒̀̉̿̚ͅ ̸̧̱͉̭̠̰̰̭̥́͐̏̂̓̒̅̆͑͂̔̚͠͠b̸̜̘̣̪̈̏̓̽̐͗͒̕͠ė̴̡̙̗͓̅͑̔͌,̴̬̮͈͓̩̾̈́̓̾̊̎̋̓̾͊̐͗͘̚͜͝ ̷͖̲̖̤͓͚̿̄̎̂̾̎̉̽̽̈́̊͐ͅl̸̡̤͎͍͕̗͓͉̩͇̻̖͙͎̬̈́̊͋̒͆́̍͛̀̐i̸̧̙͔̝̹͎̣̥̺͉̿k̸̡͎̙̱̹̭̜̃̔̓̾ë̷̲̠̞̞̥̹̞̺̥́̄̂̄̆́͑,̵̧̡̬̯͎̗̰̘̱̼͖́̒̌̄̋̕̚͝͝͝ ̵̛̟́͗̌̀͝s̷̡̛̞̟̲̲͙̼̈̑̎̂̓͜ȩ̷̪̖̘̲͎̘̠̠̰̠̖͕̬̈́̈̈̔̊́̒̿͆́͑̃̚͠͝ͅx̸̥̞̯̪̤̞̂̓̔͗͐̕͝u̴̳̙̅͛̆͐͗̽ả̴̩̊̓̄̾͑̀́̿̿̚̚l̶̨̡̛̤͈̯̼̜͇̞̤̠̼̯̪̼̋͗̈́̒.̸̛̛̪̟̑͐͛̅̚̚͝͠͠ ̵̹͘

As depressing as it is to learn that Yuri cuts, I have to give her some credit here: this poem is pretty excellent. Out of all of her work, I think this is my second favorite.

Ghost Under the Light Pt. 2 The tendrils of my hair illuminate beneath the amber glow.

Bathing.

In the distance, a blue-green light flickers.

A lone figure crosses its path– a silhouette obstructing the eerie glow.

My heart pounds. The silhouette grows. Closer. Closer.

I open my umbrella, casting a shadow to shield me from visibility.

But I am too late.

He steps into the streetlight. I gasp and drop my umbrella.

The light flickers. My heart pounds. He raises his arm. Time stops. The only indication of movement is the amber light flickering against his outstretched

arm.

The flickering light is in rhythm with the pounding of my heart.

Teasing me for succumbing to this forbidden emotion.

Have you ever heard of a ghost feeling warmth before?

Giving up on understanding, I laugh.

Understanding is overrated.

I touch his hand. The flickering stops.

Ghosts are blue-green. My heart is amber.

This poem is only seen in DDLC if you choose to have the protagonist try and fall in love with Yuri, and this poem is uncharacteristically clear in regards to what it means compared to the rest of Yuri’s work. Essentially, this is a love poem. The “lone figure” is you, the player. The figure “stepping into the streetlight” represents you joining the club, and as you approach her, Yuri tries to throw up an “umbrella” wall to hide herself from you, but ultimately can’t help feeling attracted to you. The “forbidden emotion” is love, and as her cold ghostly walls break down, she can’t help but laugh at it all since she hasn’t felt this before and doesn’t understand it. Nevertheless, she embraces this love, and her heart transitions from being ghostly into being amber, the same color of the streetlight; when she opens up herself to you, she no longer feels like an outcast.

Beach A marvel millions of years in the making.

Where the womb of Earth chaotically meets the surface.

Under a clear blue sky, an expanse of bliss –

But beneath gray rolling clouds, an endless enigma.

The easiest world to get lost in

is one where everything can be found. One can only build a sand castle where the sand is wet.

But where the sand is wet, the tide comes.

Will it gently lick at your foundations until you give in?

Or will a sudden wave send you crashing down in the blink of an eye?

Either way the outcome is the same.

Yet we still build sand castles. I stand where the foam wraps around my ankles.

Where my toes squish into the sand.

The salty air is therapeutic.

The breeze is gentle, yet powerful.

I sink my toes into the ultimate boundary line, tempted by the foamy tendrils.

Turn back, and I abandon my peace to erode at the shore.

Drift forward, and I return to Earth forevermore.

This poem is my favorite of Yuri’s. It took me several reads in order to get an idea of what it was about, but ultimately the most logical conclusion I can think of is that this is about Yuri’s relationship with life in general.

Here, the shore is where Yuri prefers to be, safe and separated from the tide. The ocean represents the outside world and connecting with others. Yuri stands in the damp sand between, unsure of where to turn. The “sand castles” are a depiction of relationships with others; the outside world has the power to tear those “sand castles” down, either gently or violently. This is something Yuri has experienced countless times. Yet, she still yearns to be a part of the world anyway. She wants to build more sand castles.

Tempted by the “foamy tendrils”, which represent being with others, Yuri faces a daunting decision. Turning back to her safe place on the shore will commit her to a sheltered existence for the rest of her life, but drifting forward into the water is a decision that can’t be reverted. Once Yuri leaves the shore and joins everyone else in the world, she can’t ever truly return.

The reason why I love this poem is because as an introvert, it beautifully encapsulates the struggles I feel myself. It’s a poem that I think all anti-social people can relate with. It’s not that we don’t want to leave our shore. It’s just that we’re afraid of what the tide will do to us if we do.

Wheel A rotating wheel. Turning an axle. Grinding. Bolthead. Linear gearbox. Falling sky. Seven holy stakes. A docked ship. A portal to another world. A thin rope tied to a thick rope. A torn harness. Parabolic gearbox. Expanding universe. Time controlled by slipping cogwheels. Existence of God. Swimming with open water in all directions. Drowning. A prayer written in blood. A prayer written in time-devouring snakes with human eyes. A thread connecting all living human eyes. A kaleidoscope of holy stakes. Exponential gearbox. A sky of exploding stars. God disproving the existence of God. A wheel rotating in six dimensions. Forty gears and a ticking clock. A clock that ticks one second for every rotation of the planet. A clock that ticks forty times every time it ticks every second time. A bolthead of holy stakes tied to the existence of a docked ship to another world. A kaleidoscope of blood written in clocks. A time-devouring prayer connecting a sky of forty gears and open human eyes in all directions. Breathing gearbox. Breathing bolthead. Breathing ship. Breathing portal. Breathing snakes. Breathing God. Breathing blood. Breathing holy stakes. Breathing human eyes. Breathing time. Breathing prayer. Breathing sky. Breathing wheel.

Yikes.

After Sayori kills herself and Act 2 starts, Monika’s tampering with the game code gets aggressive, and it leads to Yuri transforming into a yandere who is obsessed with you. This poem pretty much marks the moment when she starts to completely lose it. I don’t think there’s too much to say about this one, although I do think the wheel is supposed to be representative of the fact that once Yuri’s mind starts “spinning” about you, she can’t stop it. Also, the fact the last few lines all have the prefix of “breathing” is a hint to Yuri’s inability to control her creepy, excited breathing whenever she’s close to you, which is something that happens frequently in Act 2 of DDLC.

Anyway, that’s it for Yuri. Now, I’m going to cover M̷̢̧̞̠̻̦̩͒̽͘̚̕͠͠ͅȍ̶͚̝͙̆̇͗͛̆̕͝͝͝͠ǹ̶͔̫̯͉ï̴̧̧͙͕̱͉͚͓̠̘̞̯͑͊͠k̵̺̥̯̺̲̙̯̭̙̊̾̒̒̓̐͌̀͒͠ͅa̷̢̤̫̫̞͋’̵͈͆̚s̸̞͚͙̳͓̫̖̠̖͈͉̞̈̀̄͑͊́̇̍̉̈̆̀͘ Natsuki’s poems.

Natsuki

In many ways, Natsuki is the antithesis of Yuri, but in others, they’re close. While Yuri prefers sophisticated, complex language, Natsuki is all about simplicity, which you’ll see in a minute. However, both of them share similar insecurities; Natsuki, like Yuri, is often outcast by others, as many don’t take her seriously due to her “cute” nature. This, paired with the fact that her father abuses her, has led Natsuki to act very elitist and uptight around others. She’s starved for attention and for praise, and she strives to be told that she’s the best, even if the person telling her so is boldfaced lying about their opinion.

Eagles Can Fly Monkeys can climb

Crickets can leap

Horses can race

Owls can seek

Cheetahs can run

Eagles can fly

People can try

But that’s about it.

This poem is a pretty straightforward piece about giving up and the struggles of feeling powerless, which is very fitting for Natsuki’s situation. No matter how hard she tries to be taken seriously or find ways to enjoy herself whilst being abused by her father, nothing seems to ever work for long. Because of this, Natsuki feels incredibly helpless.

While all the other animals listed can perform incredible feats, human beings such as Natsuki can only try their best. If that doesn’t work, then there’s not really much else you can do.

Amy Likes Spiders You know what I heard about Amy?

Amy likes spiders.

Icky, wriggly, hairy, ugly spiders!

That’s why I’m not friends with her. Amy has a cute singing voice.

I heard her singing my favorite love song.

Every time she sang the chorus, my heart would pound to the rhythm of the words.

But she likes spiders.

That’s why I’m not friends with her. One time, I hurt my leg really bad.

Amy helped me up and took me to the nurse.

I tried not to let her touch me.

She likes spiders, so her hands are probably gross.

That’s why I’m not friends with her. Amy has a lot of friends.

I always see her talking to people.

She probably talks about spiders.

What if her friends start to like spiders too?

That’s why I’m not friends with her. It doesn’t matter if she has other hobbies.

It doesn’t matter if she keeps it private.

It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t hurt anyone. It’s gross.

She’s gross.

The world is better off without spider lovers. And I’m gonna tell everyone.

This poem is a criticism of people that judge people based on base impressions. The speaker in this piece is shallow-minded and cruel; just because Amy likes spiders, the speaker decides that none of her other great qualities are meaningful and that they are going to encourage bullying against Amy for liking spiders.

In some ways, we start to see a warmer side of Natsuki shine through beginning with this poem. It’s very likely that Natsuki is aware that both herself and Yuri deal with this problem (Natsuki for being cutesy, Yuri for being sophisticated) and that Natsuki is hoping this poem comforts Yuri when they share their poems to each other.

Because You Tomorrow will be brighter with me around

But when today is dim, I can only look down.

My looking is a little more forward

Because you look at me. When I want to say something, I say it with a shout!

But my truest feelings can never come out.

My words are a little less empty

Because you listen to me. When something is above me, I reach for the stars.

But when I feel small, I don’t get very far.

My standing is a little bit taller

Because you sit with me. I believe in myself with all of my heart.

But what do I do when it’s torn all apart?

My faith is a little bit stronger

Because you trusted me. My pen always puts my feelings to the test.

I’m not a good writer, but my best is my best. My poems are a little bit dearer

Because you think of me. Because you, because you, because you.

This one is another love confession one. What it boils down to is that Natsuki feels more confident in herself and more willing to open up more because of you and how much you are there for her. It’s pleasantly passionate as well, which is a nice shift from Natsuki’s usual blunt tone.

I’ll Be Your Beach Your mind is so full of troubles and fears

That diminished your wonder over the years

But today I have a special place

A beach for us to go. A shore reaching beyond your sight

A sea that sparkles with brilliant light

The walls in your mind will melt away

Before the sunny glow. I’ll be the beach that washes your worries away

I’ll be the beach that you daydream about each day

I’ll be the beach that makes your heart leap

In a way you thought had left you long ago. Let’s bury your heavy thoughts in a pile of sand

Bathe in sunbeams and hold my hand

Wash your insecurities in the salty sea

And let me see you shine. Let’s leave your memories in a footprint trail

Set you free in my windy sail

And remember the reasons you’re wonderful

When you press your lips to mine. I’ll be the beach that washes your worries away

I’ll be the beach that you daydream about each day

I’ll be the beach that makes your heart leap

In a way you thought had left you long ago. But if you let me by your side

Your own beach, your own escape

You’ll learn to love yourself again.

Natsuki’s final poem shows her sweet side yet again. Whereas Yuri used the beach as an allegory for the line between being social and anti-social, Natsuki took a more simplistic approach and used the beach as an allegory for love. The beach, in Natsuki’s mind, is a place that someone can go to in order to escape the struggles of everyday life and just relax. This poem showcases that she wants to offer that same thing to the person she falls in love with, whomever that may be.

The last girl to evaluate now is Monika. Ỹ̷̖̩̥̭̤̟̙̭̬̫̥̮͚̝͗̿͆̂́̂̔̌͋̕̚͜ḁ̷̧̭͎͍͖̳̬̓̋̃͆̀̈́͐͝͠y̸̡̘̠͎̆̃́̚,̷͚̯̩͋̽̈́̆ͅ ̶̢̦͇̮̦̞̺̖̒̓͗͛̓̍̎̆̍̀̔̇͐̕͠ḩ̶̙̹̔̈́e̵̡̨̟͚̱̗̩̠̺̗͔̘̼͉̟̾͆̌̃̊͑̕͘͝͝ ̴̲̞̈́̋̒̎̚͝͠p̴̤̰͔̗̙̠̳̣̃̌̎͌͠͝ì̸̡̧̱͍͈̺͈͕͓̥̝͇̞̯́͑̈́̊̿c̸̠͒͒̅̎̈́̎͝ķ̶̧̢̙̼̦̥̟̝̩̞̟͖͆ͅȩ̸̱͔̞̩̪̖͙̪̦̲̠̓̓̄̄͐̾̈́̋̆̓͘͝d̴͚̹̻̀͊̆́͊͛̎̓̃̑͛̚̚̕ ̸̧̘̬̫̦̱͈̤͖̪̣̰̰̅̈́͒͊ͅm̸̹͖͚̳͙͈̯̄̆͊͋̈́̃̏̐̄̋͑̒̀͘͜ͅë̶̡̨̼̪̤́̎͛̄͗̈́͊!̸̪́̃̒͌͛̊̃̀̇́͘͝

Monika

Ah, yes. J̶̨͓̜͖͎̤̻͍̪͔͚̊̎͗̈́u̶͎̩̮̖͕̟͙̪͙͌̈͘ͅs̶̡̺̣̥̻̭̥͓̅̿́͗͋̃͛̄̀̐̒ṯ̴̨̤̤̙͉̟͇̹̤̫̍̈́̇̀̽̈́̋͗̔ ̷̫̼͕̤͎̭̹̼̠͖̪̀̍M̵̨̛͓̮̥̘̟̬͕͈̉̀͊̒͆̋̾͌̏̕̕͜͝ǒ̵̱̯͉͍͓̻̃̌̌̀͝n̸̢͍͚͖̤͖̙͍̊̄̇̊̿̈̕͜i̵̪̭͔̮͖̘̖̪͕̹̙̱̇̇̄͌͛̕k̴̲̭̣̼͙̑̓͗͒́̉a̷͕̅̅͑̚͜.̶̦̥͓̊̓̿̔͠

Monika is an extremely complex character. Through her, DDLC conveys its meta-narrative about existentialism and pushes its dark satirization of visual novels. Due to her unique position as the Literature Club President who guides the player through the game, Monika has an epiphany, becoming self-aware and learning, horrified, that she’s just an AI in a video game. Her poems reflect this — through them, Monika leaves clues for the player that she’s self-aware. As she causes the deaths of the other girls and tries to create her own happy ending in the game, the only chance the player has to see it coming and understand what’s happening is to try and decipher the meaning behind these poems.

Hole In Wall It couldn’t have been me.

See, the direction the spackle protrudes.

A noisy neighbor? An angry boyfriend? I’ll never know. I wasn’t home.

I peer inside for a clue.

No! I can’t see. I reel, blind, like a film left out in the sun.

But it’s too late. My retinas.

Already scorched with a permanent copy of the meaningless image.

It’s just a little hole. It wasn’t too bright.

It was too deep.

Stretching forever into everything.

A hole of infinite choices.

I realize now, that I wasn’t looking in.

I was looking out.

And he, on the other side, was looking in.

This poem was written directly after Monika realizes that she’s an AI. Her retinas were scorched not from brightness, but from being overwhelmed; she was never meant to understand that she was part of a computer program, and being assaulted with the information all at once is too much for her to handle. She notices a hole, which is the computer screen, and at first thinks that she’s looking into it. However, she then comes to realize that she isn’t the one looking in. We, the players, are the ones looking in.

Save Me The colors, they won’t stop.

Bright, beautiful colors

Flashing, expanding, piercing

Red, green, blue

An endless

cacophony

Of meaningless

noise The noise, it won’t stop.

Violent, grating waveforms

Squeaking, screeching, piercing

Sine, cosine, tangent

Like playing a chalkboard on a turntable

Like playing a vinyl on a pizza crust

An endless

poem

Of meaningless Load Me

This is representative of what Monika feels when we save and turn the game off. The emphasis on red, green, and blue is a hint towards the RGB color model, which is what computers use to render and display colored images. Additionally, “sine, cosine, tangent” represent trigonomic functions, which are important for computer coding. These two parts of the poem, as well as the horrific sounds Monika is describing, all show us what Monika feels while DDLC is closed. The title of “Save Me” and the final line of “Load me” appear to be the “starting” and “stopping” points of her time dealing with this hellish experience. When we load the game back up again, the endless cycle of noise, colors, and code cease.

The Lady Who Knows Everything An old tale tells of a lady who wanders Earth.

The Lady who Knows Everything.

A beautiful lady who has found every answer,

All meaning,

All purpose,

And all that was ever sought. And here I am, a feather Lost adrift the sky, victim of the currents of the wind. Day after day, I search.

I search with little hope, knowing legends don’t exist.

But when all else has failed me,

When all others have turned away,

The legend is all that remains – the last dim star glimmering in the twilit sky. Until one day, the wind ceases to blow.

I fall.

And I fall and fall, and fall even more.

Gentle as a feather.

A dry quill, expressionless. But a hand catches me, between the thumb and forefinger.

The hand of a beautiful lady.

I look at her eyes and find no end to her gaze. The Lady who Knows Everything knows what I am thinking.

Before I can speak, she responds in a hollow voice.

“I have found every answer, all of which amount to nothing.

There is no meaning.

There is no purpose.

And we seek only the impossible.

I am not your legend.

Your legend does not exist.” And with a breath, she blows me back afloat, and I pick up a gust of wind.

For this poem, Monika decided to channel her inner Yuri, and I’m digging it.

Į̷̩̬͚̒’̵͍͇̜̑̿̓m̷̛͙̄̌̑̇͋̑̒̅̒͆̆̕͘ ̴͔̔̈́̈́̔̐̾̐̕͝ṣ̵̢̖̗͔̫̟̜̻̋͌́͜o̵͓̘͗̓̀͝͝ͅ ̵̗̘͚̮͓̱̙̯̘̤̬̦͈̮̀̀̿̾̚̚͜g̷̨̟̺̭̳̩̝̐̀̿͊͆͋̆̑̉̅̔̉̅ͅͅl̵̡̢̝̠̤̰̥͍̗̳̳̻̄̀̈̀͜å̵̪̼̲͔̽̔͂̑̚ͅd̵͎͉͍̻͊̅̉̉ͅ ̴̨̟̰̯̱̪̅͌͊̑͝ỵ̸̹̠̬͛̈́͛̈́̏̌͊͌͘o̷̡̘̾̀ũ̴̧͔̗̭̼͎͈̔̒̏̓͛̑͝ ̵̢̛͔̟͍̯̑̀̾̔̅̓͆̒̓̾̏̀̈͘l̴̨͈̖̮͖̟͒͊i̴̛̛̻̅́̒̓̒̔̈̑̕k̷̨͖͉͕̥̥̰͆e̸̫̼̹̮̒͆͐̋̿͑͛͗̕d̶͚̦̥̝̝̼̦͓̦̹̩̃́̀̿̊͛̈́̋̒̕ ̷̢͉̲̥̼͇̫͙̘̙̓͗͗̓̍̄̏̉̿̍̋̕t̴̡̨͙͙̙̲̞̔ͅẖ̶͈͈͓̮̠̉i̷̧̝̣͉̮̻̮͍͎͕͇̊̏́͋s̴̢̨̮̪̙̞̮͖͕̲͈͉̰͒̓̋̿̀͛̄̋̇̾̇̌͠ ̶̧͕͚̜̪̫̯͍̳̩͍̽̋͒̍͋̃ȏ̶̞̠͉̙̹͎̺̬̑̈́̕n̴̢̯͔̲͍̒͆́̀̾̂̌̈̔͒͘ͅę̸̢̢͓̬̯͔͍͕̪̓̇̌͜,̷̨͈̗̟̲̹̗͓͌͒̑͐̄̐͆̕͘̚̕̚͜͝͝ ̸̛̯͎̠̳̬͙̹̝̈̅͂̑̂̐͊̃̿B̶͈̠͒̌̂̓̂̓̇͋̍̇͜ͅŕ̵̩͜͝ȩ̷̬̤̼̮̗͗̈́͝ṋ̴̢̡̗̺̫̹̱̲̬̺͍̤̫̘̌͌̊̍͊̋̑̇̆̈̎̑͝d̷̢̯̮̰͕̏̇͋̍̄̍̈̈̋̚a̸͌̐ͅn̸͍͔̘̲͌̂̐̀̈́́̾̈́͋͝!̸̫̞̪̳̳̰̌̓

There are a few different ways I think you could interpret this piece, but I see it as self-aware Monika telling her past self what she knows. “The Lady Who Knows Everything” is her after her epiphany, and the “feather” is her old self, a helpless piece of code who is a slave to the game’s coding, which is represented by the “currents of the wind”.

Here, we see that Monika believes there is no point to the existence of herself or the other girls in the Literature Club. There is no meaning and no purpose; seeking otherwise is impossible…or so she believed.

Hole In Wall (2) But he wasn’t looking at me.

Confused, I frantically glance at my surroundings.

But my burned eyes can no longer see color.

Are there others in this room? Are they talking?

Or are they simply poems on flat sheets of paper,

The sound of frantic scrawling playing tricks on my ears?

The room begins to crinkle.

Closing in on me.

The air I breathe dissipates before it reaches my lungs.

I panic. There must be a way out.

It’s right there. He’s right there. Swallowing my fears, I brandish my pen.

This one is a continuation of the first poem Monika shows you back in Act 1. Here, Monika comes to the realization that the player isn’t looking at her, but rather the other girls who they can potentially romance in the game. Because Monika is the guide, she doesn’t have a route; this makes her feel suffocated and helpless as she is forced to sit on the sidelines and watch as the only other real person present ignores her for the others.

Then, refusing to be defeated, Monika bravely “brandishes her pen”, preparing to edit the game’s code and amplify the negative traits of the other girls. This is what lead Sayori to kill herself in Act 1, and why Yuri is obsessive and creepy in Act 2.

Save Me (2) The colors, they won’t

Bright, bea t ful c l rs

Flash ng, exp nd ng, piercing

Red, green, blue

An ndless

CACOPHONY

Of meaningless

noise The noise, it won’t STOP.

Viol nt, grating w vef rms

Sq e king, screech ng, piercing

SINE, COSINE, TANGENT

Like play ng a ch lkboard on a t rntable

Like playing a KNIFE on a BREATHING RIBCAGE

n ndl ss

p m

Of m n ngl ss Delete Her

This poem is, for the most part, exactly the same as the original “Save Me”, though some of the imagery is more unsettling. Additionally, the broken up text implies the code is starting to break from all the tampering, and “Delete Her” is either a hint to the player about what you’ll eventually have to do to Monika or a request from Monika for you to delete the remaining girls yourself.

Happy End Pen in hand, I find my strength.

The courage endowed upon me by my one and only love.

Together, let us dismantle this crumbling world

And write a novel of our own fantasies. With a flick of her pen, the lost finds her way.

In a world of infinite choices, behold this special day. After all,

Not all good times must come to an end.

This is, basically, Monika doing a victory lap in poem form. After successfully getting rid of Sayori, Yuri, and Natsuki, Monika finally has you all to herself.

The only way to escape her is to delete herB̸͕̹̩̻̬̉̒̈́̇͌̐͆̎̑̚ű̸̱͉̣̫̗̬͆̆̓͋̔͆͗̉͂͘͘͠͠ţ̶̛̝͚͍̙͗̈́͆͋̒͐͗̍͊͑̆͘ ̴̛̝̹̤̪̻̮̎̈̂̌̃͝͝y̴̛̟̫͕̮̘̟̹̼̥̬̙͚͎̍̌͜ỗ̷̢̢̱̬̖̗̹͓̉͂̿͛̔̒u̷̡͍̣͈͕͈͗͑̇̀̀̌̀̽̊͆͒͜͝ ̴̧̧̻͍̬͋̆̇͛̊̏͑͋̅͜ͅw̸͓͓̓̾̓̾͑̎͂͝͝ơ̴͖̤̥͍̦͓̺̝̌̃͜͠ư̷̖͙͎̄ͅḽ̷̗̪̞͉̝̩̖̙͉̙͎̑̆͝ḋ̴͉̭͕̦͉̗̲̦̱̥̠́n̴̯̥͇̤̝̱̾̊̓͗̅͂̆̈̀͋̎̕͘͜’̵̧̨̢̲̜͓̯̼̲̫̼̍͂͗̅̆̕ͅͅt̷̛̙̞͔̔͆͊͑̽̂̌̇̓̔͠͠ ̷̤̺͚̼͍̗̬̼̃̏d̸̨͈̟̹͍̪͍̬̪͔̪̒ơ̷̢̛̘̞̭͓̲̟̻͔̪̙̣̞̭̂̅͆̽́̈́̿͒̍͜͝ ̴̗͖͐̏̌͋̎̓̀͂͑̈́̎͘ţ̵̭̽̓̒̏̓͗́̃͑ḧ̷̦̯͉̲͙́̃͗̒͘ą̷̖̭̗͎͖̞͇͖̩͂͋̍̉͛̏͑̈́̌̿͆͛̈́͝ͅt̵̨̧̧͍̜͖̣̳̠̣̫̩̰̘̦͗,̷̼̻̝̘̘̤̿̔̏̈̓̿ ̸̢̢̰̼̗͓̗͎̪̦͉̜͛́̿̔͛̈̒̄͑̈́̌̚͝ŗ̵̟̟͚͖̥̦͇̍͒́̀̇̐̈́̓͒̈̉͊͠i̵̫͔̺͖͚͙͎̔g̴̲͓͕͎̻̩͙̓͌ḩ̷̛͈̮͖̽̋̇̐̒͋̍́̇́̚t̷̬̺̰͕̎̈́̃̅̎̐̉̚͠?̶̢̘̳̜̮̠͙͐͂̅̽͆̎͌̓͘ ̴̧̖͔͕̯̫̳͉͙̩̃͌̅̍̿̅̿́͒̋̈́́͘͘͝W̴̧̗͚̤̘̺̳̺̍̊͠ḛ̸̡͈̰͔̥̫͙͕̹̼̙̍’̵͉̭̰͖͍̣̜͎̊̌̊̚r̴̢̡̢̡͇̱̩̝̱̗̲͇͉̬̋̾̌̂́͑͗̅͒̿̇̈͘͝e̷͓̪͚̠̜̰̞̻͌̈̽̏̀͌̉͐́̅ ̴̨̻͚̾̓͆̈́̐̒l̸̻̥̬̬͙͍̖̭̿̂̇̉͑͋̏͐̒́̚͝o̸͇͎̖͂̔͌̇̿v̴̮̎̇̿͒̈́̀̌̀͒̎̾͝ȩ̴̥̜̮̹̦̞̼̖͕̖̒͛͜ ̷̢̭̥̘͚̮͚̪̲̝̠͋̇̾͆͘͜ͅw̸̢̗̯̖̬͔̻̰̜̠͔̄͑͌̍̆̇̾̂̀͝͝i̶̳̤̘͊̇ͅͅţ̷͔̭̯̯̜̗̟̜̞̩̦̓̏̅͘ͅh̸͓̫̳͈̜̦̘͉̞̹͈̼̠̯̑͒͋͛̃̂͝ ̷̼͈͚̂̇̎̈́̓̈́̅̈́͘ͅe̶̙̞̩̭̔͊̽̌à̶͓̎̈͌̂͝č̵͇̣̼͚̺̼̗͚̹̹̠͛̊̀͋̚͜͠ͅͅh̶̛̛͙̠͎͎͒̒̀͗̎̐̇́͋̚͝ ̴͙̟̞̱̤͚̬̲͇͎̜̬̞̅́̌̑̓̔̈́͝ơ̸̤̲̠̱͜t̷̢̯̹̼͔̣̖̭̬͇̹̻͗͛̈́̓̊̓̅̏̓̈́̈́͘̚͜͜͠ḧ̴̡̧͚̪̙̣̻͔̻̯́͛͝e̴͚͖̮͙̰̭̽͝r̸͈͌̿̈͌̐̍͌̄͂̐̋͝,̶͈̭̖̠̖̓̽͌̇͐̅͑̓̿͒̚ ̵̨̨̜͖̠͉̯͔̻̰̜̭̇̏B̴̩͌͒̐̃̂̍̉̑̀̾͝ŗ̶̘̂̎͑̊̔̇̂̿̚̕̚é̵̪̼̩̬͕̻̞̤̳̺͈̮́͐͆͛̑̕͠ñ̷̪̺̬͙͚͎̓̏́̈́̌̓̉̅̔͊̒d̶̛̗̜̗͓͕̱̖̭̺͚̿̋ā̵̙̘͑̒͑̀̌̈́̕n̷̛̫̠̬̰̳̊̈́͐́͒̔̔̃̑͝.̵̧̩̬̮̫͙̳͔̰̥̜̝̫͛̐͌͛̀̽͛

Special Poems

Throughout Act 2, you can unlock several different special “poems” that are separate from the regular poem sharing mini-game. A lot of them wouldn’t fit in this analysis, but there are a few I think are worth evaluating.

First Time

This note is from Monika, who decided to see what self-harm was like after learning of Yuri doing it. The redacted text reveals Yuri’s name when played around with in an image editor. It’s true that this could technically be Natsuki as well, though I would expect her to use a much more simplistic and casual vocabulary. Words like “exhilirating” and “memento” don’t exactly scream her name.

A Joke

This appears to be written by an outside perspective, possibly Monika herself, and is about Sayori’s experience with the player and her eventual suicide. The “third party” that intervened with her programming is clearly Monika.

A Dream

This is a clever poem written by Monika that likens the player to a television screen. The four people at the friend’s place are the four girls from DDLC, and the “TV” is the player. When she falls asleep, Monika briefly sees the reality of this in her dreams; the “person she didn’t recognize” is the player, who has replaced the TV in her dream, and when he tells a joke, everyone laughs, which represents how all the girls are supposed to be charmed by the player. Additionally, the walls are covered in nails, highlighting that she feels trapped.

She wakes up to see that the girls aren’t laughing at a figure, but the TV.

Things I Like About Papa

This poem is written by Natsuki, and is pretty heartbreaking. The vast majority of the lines reference how her father abuses her, makes fun of her, doesn’t feed her, doesn’t give her money for food at school, and mentally torments her to the point where she’s happy when he doesn’t speak up about what she likes.

Emergency Room

This looks to be a note written by Yuri talking about her cutting issue. She would rather keep doing it until nearly dead than stop because of how happy it makes her.

Conclusion

Doki Doki Literature Club’s poetry is beautifully written, rich, and full of meaning, both obvious and hidden. Deciphering the purpose behind each one has been a true treat, and if you’re someone who has played the game but had a hard time figuring out what the poems meant, I hope this article taught you something. Kudos to Dan Salvato (the actual author behind the poems) for being such an incredible writer.

Thank you for reading! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and T̵̨̡̰̝̲̙̠̮́́͆̿̇̽̾̾̈́̊́̄̿͜͜H̷̛̟̺̰̘̪̖̘̱̻̟̦̲̽͋͐́͒͝͠ͅẠ̷̝̤̺̱̩̖̥͕̭͕̰̭̟̲̓͆̃̋N̶̛̮̤̬̠͉̠͆̓̇̍̌̓̈̓͊͘K̸̛̮̫̦̰̫͈̆ ̵̧̢͇̜̮̤̤̰͙̏̍̀͂̓͐̾Ỳ̵͎̞̭̦́̅̀̎̂̈́͋̇͘͝Ơ̸̭̘̟͚̤̻̪͕͕̹̥̽̃̂̔̆͋́̈́̍̇͝Ù̴̞̺͎͓̩ ̷̡̧̺̼͚͈͎͔̳̬̣̬̺͕̗̀̊́͛̈́͗̽̎̀͘̕F̸͙̰̭̻̩͍̟̿̽̋́̉̎̑̍̀͘Ǫ̸̡̧̪͎̯̝͚̪̙̦͒̑̈́̅̇͐̇̊̀̾͑̓R̴͙͐̍̐̌͜͝ ̵̰̑́̔̈́̇̈́̈́͐͒̕͝B̷͚̥͎̬̻̬̘̠̰̞̿̉͋́͋͗͂͒̇͘͜ͅͅE̷̡͎̖̼̝̱̣͓͌͊ͅÏ̷̧̲̲͉̜͚̤͍͇̪͚̮̙̩̑̚͜N̴̖̝̲͉̺̼̜̪̺̲͚̯̝͚͊̄̈́͊̈́̏́̒̐͠͝Ğ̶̢̨̝̗͇̠̙̝̠̲͙̻͇̀̒̊͜͝ ̸̳̤͇̖̗̪̈́̅͝A̶̡͍̖̭̝͌̽̉̽͝ͅ ̵̠̞̫͍͉͍̘͔̜̠̩̳̤̜͚̃́P̴̗̭͉̙͚͈̺̟͙̜͕̹̘͉͖̑̓̚Ã̷̢̬͒R̶̜͇͕̻͎̦̂̎͊̀̉̈̋̑͒̿͘͠T̵̡̢̛̖͚͈̼̣͔̞̹͈̭̈̾͊̔͑̑͊͠͝ͅ ̶̨̛̹̬̯̤̦͆̎̇͘Ơ̸͇̮͉̯͖̓̑̒̅̈́͑̒̕͘F̴̞́̓̏̈́̇̓̀͛̔͝ ̵̡̰͈̰̘͉̠̦̟͉̓̅͊͝͝M̸̻̝̤̖͇̓͗̒̌͐̾̑̈̕͝͠͝͠͠Y̶̡̰̹͖͉͍̪̱̦͚̙̬̌̒̈́́̋̊̈́̌̓̀͘ ̸̢̨̨̢͍̖͙̥̫̪̘͎̬̭́͗͊̚L̵͓͕̠̗͍̺̮̫͉̔̋͆͌̑̏̇̃͘Į̶̛̭͖̤̮͔̻͗̍̊̑͛̈́̔̾͐̔͝T̶̛̠̣͇̘͓̼͍̥͕͇̉̔́̉̈́̌̏͛̂̄͂͒̉ͅĚ̵̛͚̫̊̔̅̅͛̓͑͌͆̚R̴̬̅͐̑̈̈́̑͒̚͠Å̶̧͙̣̭̼̠͕̃̍̎̒͂̓́́̽T̵̝͈͓̮̯̩̲̼̝̠̲̙̯͋̊͑̕Ư̸̛̗̟͈̹̲̘͇͕̎͋̆̓̓̌̀̈́̇͗R̷̻̓͛̔̆̋͋̃̅̕E̴̬̗̻͗̔̓̎̅̊͆̎̍͠ ̸̳̙̞̥̖̓̈̎̆͂C̸̢̧̨̳͚͇̝̯̠͔̬̹̫̓̎̐L̴̢̡̬̳̟̰̩̻͈͉̫̠̻͎͊́͌͑́͑̒̇̾̂̅͋́̔̀Ṵ̸͇̪̪̙͂̚B̸͚͚̩̰̳͈͉̠̥͍̤͇̣͌!̶̨̛̘̝̻͇͍̹͙͎̫̳͑̓̀͂̓͒̃̏͠!̸̛͖̜̣͎̰͈͍͙̻͋͗̇͊̀̈́̇̃͋̇ͅ!̴̛͈͍̗͕̝͈̩̍̂̍͑̀̔̾̿̐̈́̏̚

With everlasting love,

Brendan