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(lively music)

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-: Hi, my name is Daemond Arrindell.

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I am a poet and teaching artist

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and today I have a lesson for you on odes.

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And I'll get into exactly what an ode is in a moment.

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The big idea of this lesson

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is that nothing is ordinary

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and that there is beauty everywhere if we chose to see it.

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So where we're going to start together

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is I want you to make a list

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of things that you like that other people

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don't appreciate the way that you do.

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This can video games, this can be movies,

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TV shows, a particular character.

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It can also be food.

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I've had some students in the past

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come up with all kinds of different things

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that they shared at this point of the lesson

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that I thought were really interesting.

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I had one student talk about

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how he loves taking his cold cereal

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and putting it in the microwave

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just for about five to 10 seconds

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so that the top layer gets really crispy and warm

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and the rest of the milk is just fine.

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And as soon as he said it out loud,

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every other student in the class was like eww!

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And that's exactly the point.

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What are some things that you appreciate

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that other people don't appreciate as much as you do.

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For myself, I absolutely love Brussels sprouts.

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I love cheesy dance movies.

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I like cats more than dogs.

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I love graffiti and street art

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a lot more than a lot of the art that I see in most museums.

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What are some things that you appreciate

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or like a lot that other people don't like as much?

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And it doesn't mean that you're

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the only person in the world that likes them.

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It just means that you're probably

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more in the minority on this.

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Another food thing for myself,

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I really love pickle juice.

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And I've typically had a fair amount of students

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in my classrooms say, "yes!",

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and most of them go, "Ew, that's horrible!".

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And that's the point.

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What are some things that you appreciate

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that other people, not so much.

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Take a moment to come up with five different things

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that you like a lot.

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And I'm gonna add to my list.

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(lively music)

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okay, some things that I added:

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foreign movies with subtitles,

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really, really hot sunny weather,

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Steven Universe, and I know that that's something

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that a fair amount of people do love,

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but not as many people love it as much as they should.

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So an ode, which is our focus today,

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an ode is a poem that celebrates

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someone or something ordinary

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and shows the beauty of it.

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So, taking that thing that you think is amazing

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and showing what makes it amazing.

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Some strategies that a lot of poets use with odes

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is they'll mention colors.

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They may bring it to life,

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especially non-living things, using personification,

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talking about it like it's a living, breathing thing.

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Odes can also be about people

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and I'm gonna give you a really great example

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from a song that is a bit old,

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but I think it's really appropriate.

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It's called Dear Mama by Tupac Shakur.

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And I'm not gonna read the entire thing.

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I'm just gonna read the first verse.

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Dear Mama, you are appreciated.

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When I was young me and my mama had beef.

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17 years old, kicked out on the streets.

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Back at the time, I never thought I'd see her face

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ain't a woman alive that could take my mama's place.

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Suspended from school and scared to go home.

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I was a fool with the big boys breaking all the rules.

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I shed tears with my baby sister

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over the years we were poorer than the other little kids.

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And even though we had different daddies the same drama

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when things went wrong we blamed mama.

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I reminisce on the stress I caused.

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It was hell hugging on my mama from a jail cell.

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And who'd think in elementary

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hey, I'd see the penitentiary one day

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and running from the police, that's right,

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Mama caught me, put a whooping to my backside.

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And even as a crack fiend, Mama,

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you always was a Black queen, Mama.

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I finally understand for a woman

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it ain't easy trying to raise a man.

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You always was committed.

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A poor single mother on welfare.

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Tell me how you did it.

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There's no way I can pay you back,

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but the plan is to show you that I understand.

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You are appreciated.

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Now, the title of the poem is Dear Mama.

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He's writing it almost like a letter to her

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trying to show her how much he appreciates her.

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And some of the things that I love about this poem

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is the simple fact that he doesn't hide

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the things that could be seen as negative.

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There's a fair amount of things

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that he mentions in this poem

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that would not be seen as positive.

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The fact that they were on welfare,

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the fact that she was addicted to crack,

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the fact that she gave him a whooping,

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the fact that there was a point in time where she was

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talking to him through the bars of a jail cell.

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There's a lot of negativity,

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or rather negative things that happened

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in their lives together, and yet

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despite all of those things,

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Tupac still refers to her as a Black queen,

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and I think that's kind of amazing.

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And it speaks again to that big idea

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that nothing is ordinary and there is beauty everywhere

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and we just have to be willing to see it.

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So, we're gonna use this as a template for our own odes.

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And again, the point here is to pick something ordinary:

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a place, a thing, a person, someone that other people

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don't appreciate the way that you do,

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or maybe someone or something that you appreciate now

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but you didn't appreciate it at a previous time.

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You're gonna give your subject praise or thanks.

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You're gonna speak directly to the object

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or about the object, just like Tupac did

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in talking about his Mama.

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You're gonna use adjectives and descriptive words

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to bring this thing to life

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to tell us what it looks like,

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what it sounds like, what it feels like.

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Feel free to think about this thing,

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especially if it is a thing, to bring that thing to life

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through what is called personification.

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And feel free to repeat lines.

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And I'm gonna give you an example of my own that I wrote.

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This is called Ode to my Bald Head.

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Like a lawn whose grass is dead or dying

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you are sprinkled with black and grey hairs.

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On long days I lack the energy to mow the weeds

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so I cover you with a hat.

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In the cold you shiver like a homeless alley cat.

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Oh Bald Head, my neglected field.

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When I shave you clean you glisten bright as a mirror

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for people to see their own reflections in.

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Dear Bald Head, you shine like the sun.

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So, being descriptive,

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comparing it to other things.

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You can exaggerate and point out the negative things,

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but also point them out in a way

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that seems really positive.

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I'm referring to my head as a neglected field

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on those days when I haven't shaved it clean.

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On the days when I have it kind of shines

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as bright as the sun.

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You can see your own reflection in it.

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I'm exaggerating within that.

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So for yourself, again,

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pick an ordinary place or thing,

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maybe something that was on your list from the beginning.

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You're gonna give your subject praise or thanks.

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You're gonna speak directly to the object or person,

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just like Tupac did, just like I was doing.

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"Dear Bald Head."

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Feel free to use verbs to bring that object to life

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using personification.

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And feel free to repeat lines,

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like "Dear Bald Head," or "Oh Bald Head".

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Just like I did.

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So, I'm gonna give you a few moments to write

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and see what you come up with.

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(lively music)

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Okay.

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I'm gonna share with you what I just came up with.

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There's a fly that's been buzzing around the room,

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so I decided to write about the fly.

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Dear fly buzzing around the studio,

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I love to watch the camera operator's eyes

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follow you to and fro like a pendulum

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or a tiny, tiny tennis match.

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You are black, not neon green like the ball,

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but we cannot stop watching you.

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You buzz in my ear.

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Your buzz in my ear is radio station static

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I can't not tune in to.

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Oh fly, your persistence is magical.

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Thanks for writing with me.

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Thanks for being here

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and enjoy the rest of your day.

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(upbeat music)