The Regalities of Plainness | Teen Ink

The Regalities of Plainness

December 11, 2013
By Bryn.B GOLD, Spring, Texas
Bryn.B GOLD, Spring, Texas
18 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Maybe who I was cannot be captured, only reminisced; all I know is I'm my favorite me I've ever been."




-Michael W. J. Yearout


I promised not to intrude, not to pull you apart thread by thread, only to restitch you into something you aren’t, someone more beautiful and poetic than you are, but I’m breaking that promise, Dear Friend, breaking one thing to fortify another, and I am sorry, because I hate to rift our friendship, but I need to do this. You will forgive me, I am sure of it, and if you don’t, that is your character in question. You will forgive me Michael.

Through cascades of colored ribbon that are our voices, mine a solid forest green, yours, a vivid purple, I found you intriguing, a person of interest, someone I wished to know. My aspirations of friendship were eased through common threads in the textiles that we are made of; a favorite author, a fondness for music, and corresponding views on society made me comfortable with the concept of you. Although I realize you may not see me as much, just a childish plaything there for your amusement, to talk to and soon forget about, I will have you know that I disregard your pretension, I am blind to every negative thing about you. This is not denial, it is the way I choose to live my life, and I hope that you might see this through your oblivion to the positive.

Hearing you hum out the emotions of you, plucking away six-stringed anxieties, I find myself thinking. You may say that I am always thinking, but in all honesty, I am really only over-thinking, which is so different from the trim, organized thoughts I think when a tune of yours is there to sift them out for me. I can’t remember serenity, what it feels like, but music takes my cluttered mind as close to it as possible, and yours is not the exception. Keep it coming, I long to hear your solemn expressions.

You, in one word, are an outlier, perpetually engaged in silent mental warfare with your own person, yet trying to contend with the frustrations and simple agitation of the world. There is no need to find yourself, only express it. I think you do a marvelous job, slipping snarky comments between utterances of pure comprehension, throwing us all off just enough to continue on with your independent cognition. I see what you are doing, and although I find it harder to communicate day by day, and my internal brilliance is held captive in a shell of naïve gaiety, I know the strategies of cerebral combat you are using, for I practically created them.

I realize you’d rather be left alone, rather recluse to the depth of your logic and never be human, but you don’t, and I am so thankful for that, because although at times I find you to be a conundrum, like the infinitely unsolved Rubik’s Cube sitting on my desk. I will always be here, me and my empty compliments, my empty compliments and I, we’ll wait for you. Until the day comes that you find yourself in need of justification, I will wait.

I realize now that I haven’t broken the aforementioned promise, that is, that I wouldn’t write you as something you aren’t. I haven’t broken it because everything I’ve written here is valid and honest, no author’s license needed, just a few metaphors. This epiphany does not counteract my firm stance that you will never read this, that is a promise that will remain standing, you will never read this, and I am sorry. I look forward to the day you wear those impeccable flaws on your sleeve, the day you show everyone and me past the tip of the iceberg, the day I know will come, and since you’ll never see this anyway, and my talking in second person has the significance of talking to a wall, I guess now wouldn’t be a bad time to add that I think I’m kinda in love with you.


The author's comments:
This is a piece about one of my good friends. I swore to myself I'd never let him read it, but I did anyway (and he loved it!). This is a favorite of mine.

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This article has 7 comments.


Bryn.B GOLD said...
on Jan. 27 2014 at 4:40 pm
Bryn.B GOLD, Spring, Texas
18 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Maybe who I was cannot be captured, only reminisced; all I know is I'm my favorite me I've ever been."




-Michael W. J. Yearout

HaHa, okay- and thanks! He says hi.

on Jan. 26 2014 at 7:53 pm
YogoSapphire BRONZE, Lonepine, Montana
1 article 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It's not always rainbows and butterflies, it's compromise that moves us along."

Thank you! I don't have an instagram, a facebook, a snapchat, a twitter... I think you get the point. I'm pretty much the epitome of the modern teenager. I like to hand-write my letters (mostly because I love to receive responses through the snail mail), and I occasionally email or text (except there isn't cell service where I live.) It's okay, you can call me an outlier.:) Tell your friend good luck on his album.

Bryn.B GOLD said...
on Jan. 26 2014 at 4:55 pm
Bryn.B GOLD, Spring, Texas
18 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Maybe who I was cannot be captured, only reminisced; all I know is I'm my favorite me I've ever been."




-Michael W. J. Yearout

I liked Flash Back! It was great really. I admire anyone who can create the new paradigm needed for a fiction story (notice all of my writing is simply nonfiction), and yup, The Ground We Build Upon is actually the name of my friend's song which inspired me to write that piece. He's coming out with a new album in a month or so, so I guess you can expect a lot more where that came from! Do you have an Instagram?

on Jan. 26 2014 at 1:57 am
YogoSapphire BRONZE, Lonepine, Montana
1 article 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It's not always rainbows and butterflies, it's compromise that moves us along."

Please don't. No, you can, but don't expect it to be as smoothly cultivated as yours.:) I asked because I thought that this and The Ground We Build Upon seemed to be similarly inspired. I wonder what color my voice would be.

Bryn.B GOLD said...
on Jan. 25 2014 at 11:00 pm
Bryn.B GOLD, Spring, Texas
18 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Maybe who I was cannot be captured, only reminisced; all I know is I'm my favorite me I've ever been."




-Michael W. J. Yearout

Oh my goodness! Thank you so much! This made my day! I do write about this friend a lot, as well as several others, but this guy mostly. Thanks again, and I look forward to reading your work!

on Jan. 25 2014 at 6:36 pm
YogoSapphire BRONZE, Lonepine, Montana
1 article 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It's not always rainbows and butterflies, it's compromise that moves us along."

This. Is. Amazing. Your style, your metaphors, your description. Your words don't shove the information in my face. Your words allow me to experience it myself. The difference between telling a reader and a showing a reader. The nuances and all of the subtleties set apart the masterpiece from the painting, which is your work. Reading this made me wish I could sort my thoughts into beautiful words and expose my inner-most feelings as you do so effortlessly.  "I realized that I am really only over-thinking, which is so different from the trim, organized thoughts" (that you put down on paper.) You have a gift for writing. Keep writing! (P.S. Is it just me, or do you write about the same friend more than once?) 

on Dec. 17 2013 at 10:35 am
This was the best thing I have ever read. Truly amazing! Keep up the work and maybe one day you'll become as famous as I have become today. Truly a work of art! Great job!