At this point, Shunsui had, alas, resigned himself to the fact that he was likely to be saddled with the earliest class possible, so he'd decided to merely accept that as ironic poetry of its own, and remind himself that dragging himself out at what he firmly felt was a truly ungodly hour was still better than having to deal with the Seireitei and the Gotei 13 on a regular basis.

So he was there with his sleepy smile and his classroom with the chairs and desks all pushed aside to make way for more comfortable cushions, a small low table at the center of the ring with a pot of tea and a few cupsr ready to go for his tiny little class, determined to prove that absolutely nothing that happened outside of a bed before noon on a Monday should be even remotely strenuous or taxing.

"Ahhhhh, poetry ♥," he started, once the students had settled. "Hopefully, that is why you've gathered here today, but if not, well, the more, the merrier, stay a while and have some tea while we talk about painting pictures with our words ♥. On a technical level, poetry is a form of writing that quite often relies on a certain lyricism, sometimes bound by patterns or beats and expectations of a certain form, but not always. Poems can be about nature, about love, about passion; it can also be about history, about events, a form used to spread tales between people back before we had the letters with which to write them down. Poetry is a great many things, ducklings, and in this class, we will explore those things ♥."

He took a sip from his tea before continuing.

"But today," he ventured, "I would simply like to explore what poetry means to you ♥. It is, after all, the first class of a new semester, a time for introductions and getting to know each other in the context of where our education will lead us ♥. And so tell me, ducklings: what do you think poetry is? Do you have a favorite poem, or perhaps poet ♥? Do you write poetry yourself or do you merely enjoy it as a spectator and appreciator of the arts? Share whatever you'd like; we have no other goals for today but to share an appreciation for this mercurial beast we shall discover through the next few months ♥."