Six Uneven Stairs | Teen Ink

Six Uneven Stairs MAG

By Anonymous

They are the only ones that trip me. I am the only one who cleans them. Six uneven stairs with uneven boards and splintering sides. Six that are out of place but fit in. Six stairs worn smooth by years of treading shoes. From the window I can see them, but my mother says to stop staring.

Their memories are long. They have felt three generations of feet walking over them. They stay put and go far and watch noiselessly with their inconspicuous staring and silent laughter. This is how they live.

If one cracked under pressure, the others would surely bend like fingers on a piano, each following the last. Live, live, live, stairs whisper as I pass over. They love.

When I am too alone and too uneven to keep living, when I am a drop of salt in the ocean, then I walk over the stairs. When there is nowhere else to walk on the lane. Six that stay in spite of the rain. Six that are above and remain above. For their only purpose is to see and see.



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This article has 43 comments.


on Feb. 19 2012 at 10:20 am
Amyelisee BRONZE, Lake Bluff, Illinois
3 articles 8 photos 117 comments
Brilliant :)

on Jun. 29 2011 at 4:05 pm
Krikette BRONZE, Sunnyvale, California
3 articles 0 photos 22 comments

Favorite line :)

"If one cracked under pressure, the others would surely bend like fingers on a piano, each following the last."


on Jun. 29 2011 at 4:04 pm
Krikette BRONZE, Sunnyvale, California
3 articles 0 photos 22 comments
I really, really like this. The simplicity yet depth is wonderful. I read it a couple times, and my appreciation for it only grew. Well done!

austenite GOLD said...
on Jun. 7 2011 at 10:50 pm
austenite GOLD, River Falls, Wisconsin
13 articles 0 photos 177 comments

Favorite Quote:
...one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love....I love...I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on. -Mr. Darcy

I absolutely loved this piece - fantastic job! Beautifully written.

on Jun. 7 2011 at 11:50 am
Neautique132 SILVER, Minneapolis, Minnesota
6 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
If I wanted antioxidants, i'd just hold my breath!

This is so poetic, such an intimate piece. I love it!

on Feb. 20 2011 at 6:11 pm
remembermeplz PLATINUM, Friend, Nebraska
36 articles 10 photos 230 comments

Favorite Quote:
"when the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace" -- Jimi Hendrix

awhmahzing!

Leann14 GOLD said...
on Oct. 26 2010 at 3:10 pm
Leann14 GOLD, DeGraff, Ohio
16 articles 4 photos 110 comments
Beautiful in the best sense. :) You have a simplistic loveliness to your style of writing.... I adore it! It is very deep as well, keep writing.    P.S.- I'm jealous. And I love when you say that your mom says to quit staring. It gave me absolute chills.

on Oct. 21 2010 at 12:49 pm
amberglow13 SILVER, Tulsa, Oklahoma
8 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Always remember that you are unique--just like everybody else."

Have you read "The House on Mango Street"? Because this seems like a ripoff of the chapter about the four skinny trees.

WhiteShadows said...
on Oct. 4 2010 at 6:58 pm
WhiteShadows, Ocala, Florida
0 articles 0 photos 38 comments

Favorite Quote:
You&#039;ve gotta work like you don&#039;t need the money/love like you&#039;ll never be hurt/<br /> Sing like no one is listening/ and live like it&#039;s heaven on Earth.-Anonymous

Very nice. It kind of has multiple meanings. Like you want the readers to finish the writing. Great job.

on Aug. 28 2010 at 7:01 pm
kielymarie SILVER, Sandy Hook, Connecticut
6 articles 0 photos 85 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;When you do dance, I wish you a wave &#039;o the sea, that you might never do nothing but that.&quot; -William Shakespeare

Beautiful.

inspir3d GOLD said...
on Jul. 30 2010 at 1:17 pm
inspir3d GOLD, Norcross, Georgia
11 articles 2 photos 73 comments

Favorite Quote:
We&#039;re all just looking for attention, to be discovered overnight. We&#039;re all frustrated by the popular ones that claim the limelight before they fall to pieces. So many of us are stuck under the radar--what makes me different? You decide!

hey have you ever read House on Mango Street? because this seems like a very similar spin off of Esperanza's narration @ the four trees. especially the last line--almost identical.

but this is beautiful to read!! keep writing!


aslanrox430 said...
on Jun. 16 2010 at 3:42 pm
Wow. That was... wow. amazing, really good and... wow

a.m.f BRONZE said...
on Jun. 16 2010 at 2:40 pm
a.m.f BRONZE, Gainesville, Florida
3 articles 12 photos 97 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;God never shuts a door unless he opens another.&quot;

Wow! I like this! It's amazing.  Keep on writing.  If you have time, please check out my story, Scratching Stones.

 


on May. 24 2010 at 5:42 pm
horse95lover BRONZE, New York, New York
4 articles 9 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Outside of a dog, a book is man&#039;s best friend. Inside of a dog, it&#039;s too dark to read&quot; - Groucho Marx

this is awesome! you have real talent - write more please!!!

on May. 24 2010 at 5:02 pm
irrara12 BRONZE, Columbia, Maryland
3 articles 2 photos 42 comments

Favorite Quote:
not all who wander are lost-jrr tolkien

this is amazing

on May. 10 2010 at 6:00 pm
m at loss for words. it was just so........ meaningful i guess is the word.

Dee123 said...
on May. 4 2010 at 9:48 am
I am not sure i understand this but it was very intreisting

CatCave GOLD said...
on Feb. 8 2010 at 6:33 pm
CatCave GOLD, Duluth, Georgia
17 articles 14 photos 39 comments

Favorite Quote:
We do not inherit the earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.

Very beautiful.

on Feb. 8 2010 at 4:33 pm
MeganAnne PLATINUM, Niskayuna, New York
24 articles 0 photos 157 comments

Favorite Quote:
All my life I&#039;ve looked at words as if I were seeing them for the first time. ~Ernest Hemingway

this is certainly amazing! very good! Congrats on getting into the mag.

on Feb. 8 2010 at 12:50 pm
beautifuldownfall, Kkk, Iowa
0 articles 0 photos 20 comments
That last line...made me think there was more to this than meets the eye. Like poetry, it has meanings hidden to the rest of the world. Or... maybe it's just about stairs :p