Beautiful Day
I stand out on the grass of the outfield, just off of the dirt
as the teamsswitch sides.
I pull my blue shirt to fan off my body.
I smile as the ringof the ice cream truck chimes, and
children scramble to get in line.
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Beginnings
I started to read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
but it was too hard to bestrung out
all the time
I started to watch "Gone with ...
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Cool Blue Night
Cool blue night comes again
My girl and I lie alone
On a blanket in thepark
She tells me she has never
Seen a shooting star
I wanted to be theone
The one to show her the first one
As we lie in silence
Wrappedaround each other
Across the sky soars a passionate red ...
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Corpulent Baudrillardians
The friends want Deconstruction
And Cheetos.
Postmodernsnackaholics,
Adrift in a cumbersome world
of metanarratives and stringentdietary restrictions.
"Who needs Hegel and the FDA?"
theyobstreperously yell.
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Destination Nowhere
Green hallways to contrast with the cold gray tiles
Blurs of color light theway into the vastness of white
Faceless laughter echoing indesperation
Into the hallways that contain secrets of the past
On to theoutside where miles of green are disrupted by the bodies that tread ...
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Dulcimer
sweet notes
reverberate in silence
in an empty upstairs hall
in anash-strewn fireplace.
we ache from the absence
of his hearty laugh...
only the tinny,
high-pitched
giggles of children
remain.
iwill not sleep tonight.
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Get Real
In my book,
Snow White knew better than to eat an apple from a strangeold lady;
Cinderella loved herself enough to break out of that step-family'sjoint.
Jill didn't tumble after Jack -
She called for help on her cellphone as she walked back down the hill.
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I Can't See My House From Here
People congregate bya stop sign.
A man with a red jacket walks through
a park. A lady walksagainst the wind.
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It's Strange
It's strange
that on the first day of school you just didn't show up.
Youdecided that a private Seventh Day Adventist boarding school was foryou,
grand ole GHS just lost its lure,
but did I?
It's strange
that even though I loved our talks on the way home to my house at ...
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Let's Start a Prime-Time Television Show
(after e.e. cummings)
Let's start a television show
And air itbetween the hours
of 8 and 10 p.m.
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Mother
She ages with ease.
Gentle morning glory fades,
intoremembrance.
Gust at funeral,
an elm leaf falls in despair
breezeblown, hollow wind.
Hollow me.
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Ocean
The prints in the sand,
we left them to stay
but water doesn'tfollow
the games that we play
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Ode to the Monkey on My Wall
A summer day at the Washington Zoo
a white-bearded creature was staring atme
with his big brown eyes
and yellow stained teeth.
I traveleddown
the elephant-boned path.
The gift shop rose over
the camel-humphill
dressed all in white
with its very own red-orange cap.
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Once
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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Piper Beach
The tiny bird runs toward the surf,
Poking its thin beak into the wetsand,
Searching for tidbits brought by the sea,
But scuttles away whenanother wave comes.
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Please Understand
I wear clothes two sizes too big.
I listen to loud music.
Irebel.
Please understand,
I'm just a teenager.
I don't alwayslisten.
I don't really care about algebra II.
I think going out is moreimportant than cleaning my room.
Please understand,
I'm just young.
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Streaming
I
Cascading down from the sky to where
The Blue Ridge fades tofoothills,
Where the scent of the Shenandoah,
Still discernible, lingers.Where a look
At the sky blends forest green and crystal blue,
And thesetting sun yields commanding power.
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Summer Season
summer seasons sing their secrets
part of the picture of perfection
thelake sleeps
night trudges on
and a gown of moonsong coversall
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The Old Me
When people say they miss me,
I think how much I miss me too,
Me, the oldme, the great me,
Company for my mom even on a school night
Only when mydad was away on business
Innocently kicking in my sleep
Me, the day campexpert
Seven years at Ramaquois
Energy- and ...
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Time Immemorial
dance
of courage
red cape tempting
a ballet
by skinny menin
too-tight pants
who know
they're no longer
heroes
but theyignore
ignore and hold
the slain bull's ear with pride
ignore and showthe crowd
ignore and cry
(their tears, of course, are because ...
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