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When I am Dead This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine.

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When I am dead, my dearest, don’t stick my bones
together with Scotch tape. Do not try to fit them
underneath a frame. Use them, one by one,
as a weapon, a gavel. My bones,
they can be good back scratchers, honey mixers,
and hands of clocks.

You can toss them across space
and see how far they’ll glide until another hand
slips across it. When I am dead, dearest,
thread my bones to the top of a mountain.

The next time you arrive at a glass sea,
spill it boldly. Spell your life in two parts,
watch them float until they descend
like a weight down into that container.

This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. This piece has been published in Teen Ink’s monthly print magazine.





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jellisrellish said...
Apr. 27, 2009 at 11:48 pm:
pretty cool i guees. but i dont really understand it. but u dont have to. u can feel the feeling pouring from it.good work.
 
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CressFerriera said...
Apr. 27, 2009 at 3:02 pm:
This poem makes me hungry.
 
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Joeker said...
Apr. 25, 2009 at 12:39 pm:
nice poem...i woiuld try to describe more about how i like it...but i'm not that good at describing things...
 
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Hannah W. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Apr. 23, 2009 at 6:44 pm:
thanks for the comments, everyone. the main theme of this poem is legacy, but i do try to leave the poem open to different interpretations. and yes, kathleene, this was a homework assignment for an english class. we were reading the kowit book. ^_~
 
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Chelle*aka* Me, Myself, and I said...
Apr. 22, 2009 at 2:49 am:
Very deep.... ists tells and expresses alot of feeling
 
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musicThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. said...
Apr. 23, 2009 at 7:53 pm:
i like this poem its so awesome
 
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epeters789 said...
Apr. 14, 2009 at 3:44 am:
nicely done http://teenink.com/raw/Poetry/article/96655/Deep-Within/

this ones mine :)
 
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Greek311 This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Apr. 12, 2009 at 11:49 pm:
The way you used 'My dearest' was beautiful. It really gave emphasized the love within the relationship. Beautiful work
 
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Cheri-Submission said...
Apr. 9, 2009 at 11:46 pm:
The words made me think of a lover, while the tone was that of a morbid place in Mulan Rouge (which I'm sure I spelled wrong).
 
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babyblue13loveheart said...
Apr. 9, 2009 at 1:28 am:
OMG!!!!I LOVE THIS POEM!!!!! I LOVE POEMS LIKE THESE I WANT U TO WRITE MORE PLZZ!!!
 
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Strawberry said...
Apr. 8, 2009 at 12:42 am:
this is a fantatstic poem! i love your sense of thinking! keep writing!
 
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CutiePie said...
Apr. 7, 2009 at 11:32 pm:
this was fantastic! keep up the good work
 
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KaylynnKalidescope said...
Apr. 7, 2009 at 1:10 pm:
This is beatiful. I love the way you mixed death with the words you used to describe you're thoughts. Fantastic.
 
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IttehBitteh said...
Apr. 6, 2009 at 4:48 pm:
these people..are trying to look really smart with their comments haha i dont exactly understand it you should add on and maybe put a explantion but thats just me
 
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Courtney C. said...
Apr. 4, 2009 at 8:10 pm:
wow. i think its great. your an amazing poet :)
 
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Moshu said...
Apr. 4, 2009 at 6:35 pm:
How chilling! It was so lighthearted it was disturbing. I wish I could know where you got your inspiration for it! Very clear and precise.
 
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francheeze88 said...
Apr. 4, 2009 at 2:41 am:
Wow, I love this. You write about death in such an optimistic and beautiful way.
 
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torinb10 said...
Apr. 4, 2009 at 1:20 am:
wow ur amazing
 
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Audrey G. said...
Apr. 4, 2009 at 12:28 am:
This is absolutely incredible. I love it, the theme, the tone, the way you crafted the sentences, the way the words are strung together. It almost makes no sense at all, but it is very enlightening.
 
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Mena<3 said...
Apr. 3, 2009 at 1:19 pm:
this is really good; it has alot of meaning=]
 
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