5:45 p.m. on a Tuesday
The scent of lemon
lingers in the air,
tickling my nose.
It must beMom's chicken
again
just like last Tuesday,
but never like theFridays
when Grandma used to make it.
I set the table:
Mom at thewindow,
Dad right next to her,
but not today.
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A Father Worth Loving
there is a young boy
that I know, not at all
I know his experiences
andwhy he cries
that he does cry
and you watch from behind
as thewords in his books smudge
from tears
crinkling the pages
forming puddlesof ink and salt
you watch and tell him to be a ...
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Alex
My breath forms steamy clouds
Cold legs force my pedals to circulate
Myheart races and I catch my breath
At the Ryder truck in Alex'sdriveway
Stone legs quit working, I stand and watch
The creaky truck carrymy friend away
How many times will people leave
Without saying ...
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And Me
Sitting in a small, cold ...
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Before
I was so angry
Before rationality hit.
Sometimes I'd rather
Maintain theinternal steam.
It inspires my imagination,
Kick starts me.
I suddenlybecome aware of
New things, new views, new perceptions.
When I'm angry myworld loops.
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Breaking Free
Should've, could've, would've
It's over and done
Time to be real
Notsomething; someone
Lose the existence
Of facades and games
I want truejoy
Not a bunch of brand names
Tired and sick
Of being sick andtired
I'm through with the hype
Don't have to be ...
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Concrete Promises
This selection can be found in Teen Ink Friendsand Family, the third in the Teen Ink book series, all available inbookstores nationwide and online. Continue...
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Cotton Hill Road in Fall
The road is narrow, bent and icy in places.
Blue lights flash up and down ittwice a week.
We push the Limits
suspension Creaking andtittering
Fiendish smiles, forced by confusion and fear
fingerswhite-Knuckled around ridges on steering wheels
thighs tight keeping the ...
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Dinner
Like snow falling in a graveyard,
Only quieter,
Watching over eachother
In anticipation of that inevitable eruption.
Resentment, regret,frustration,
Each emotion waiting for its chance
To sour themeal.
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Eight Minutes
This selection can be found in Teen Ink Friendsand Family, the third in the Teen Ink book series, all available inbookstores nationwide and online. Continue...
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Girl
She peers up at a featureless face
Instead of eyes, she findspersecution
In the place of a mouth, there is hate
Jealousy resides in thespot a nose should be
There is fear, not freckles
Dark secrets, notdimples
She beholds anger instead of eyebrows
Pain screams out from ...
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Harmony
Here we go again,
two steps forward,
three steps back.
We aredancing,
to two different tunes.
What do you hear, horse?
A tune youonly know.
Your music is so different,
I feel like a ballerina,
at yourrock concert.
No jerking or jumping,
don't jostle me.
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How Much Longer?
How long?
How much longer will I be able to see you?
Two days, a month, ayear? Maybe no longer.
All the time we spent together.
All the time wesat down and talked,
Eventually, all of it will be concluded.
I want tohelp you.
I will do anything just to spend some time.
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Not There, But Real
I swim in my own thoughts
that surround me.
Thoughts that I can'tthink,
just feel
They numb my mind
Not there, but at the same time
real.
I'm afraid to think these thoughts,
Afraid of what I mightdiscover.
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Philosophy and Cheerios
Watch the last Cheerios in the bowl do their dance in the milk.
Spinning andwhirling,
Ultimately they end up in clumps
Be it on the side or floatinglike an island in the middle.
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Reflections
Reflections in the water
grab me and pull me in,
a Parental Team ofArtificiality
throws me back.
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still waters run deep
but what if you splash them
does all the water just run away
from the calmit once knew
before your torn leather sneakers
once fresh and white
nowbrown with wear and age
destroyed with their careless tromping
the pool ofsoul cleansing depth
or does the water learn to ...
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Streetlights Late
The darkness flows around the houses
like soft cream
enveloping mashedpotatoes,
Its current sweeping kids inside.
Heavy, cool, it bathes thehot
scarlet bricks,
Dries them with a velvet towel,
and dressesthem
in silk pajamas.
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Survival of the Fittest
Screaming Cattle of the Hallways
Indigenous to the Hollow Lockers
And MeatHooks of Impersonable
Hollow Threats and Shattered ...
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The Greatest Evil
Her tear-stained cheeks
reveal the depth
of her self-inflicted pain.
Abreath between us.
A look of anguish,
and then a helpless sigh.
I toohave felt
this pain within
the crevice of every thought.
The greatestevil
I have faced, and
she has yet to tackle.
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The Man
He confuses the heck out of me
And he'd rather go sit in a tree
He'll huntfor deer
Without any fear
But he trembles when he's around me
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Untitled
She suffered such a terrible loss
when she heard the news that day,
thatall the tears in the world
couldn't wash her pain away.
Afterthat
she hid her grief
in a secret place
tucked deep beneath.
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Untitled
Fireflies swarm the sky
Bright warmth fills the night
Who keeps thefireflies?
Night of giggles
Children chasing
Lights on, lights off...
Run around
Nights of fun
Fireflies swarm the sky
Brightwarmth fills the night
Who keeps the fireflies?
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waiting
This selection can be found in Teen Ink Love andRelationships, the fourth in the Teen Ink book series, all available inbookstores nationwide and online.
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