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Epitaphs and Clichés This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. This work has won the Teen Ink contest in its category.

By
I am a writer of epitaphs and clichés love songs,
My fingers are covered with ink and my body with bruises.
Look past my first impression and I can be your sundress bride and you my pinstriped lover.

My voice may not be beautiful, but it’s all that I have,
And the butterflies don’t flock to my outstretched fingers.
Look past my crooked smile,
And we can be a vision in tie-dye and high-top sneakers.

I know I’m imperfect, and not even in the way that you like,
My shoes don’t click right and my eyes rarely close.
Look past my blood-rimmed fingernails,
And we can sit on the street corner and play the guitar.

I am an omen of awkward moments and broken pencils,
The grass I walk through never grows as quickly.
Look past my out-of-place laughter,
And we can be the reason the other opens his windows.

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

This work has won the Teen Ink contest in its category. This piece won the June 2008 Teen Ink Poetry Contest.




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This article has 58 comments. Post your own!

beautifulspiritThis 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. 17 at 7:14 pm:
It was your title that caught my attention, but it was your words that made me stay:) I love the idea that the speaker considers herself imperfect and wants her significant other to see her as she is. It's like "here I am." Beautiful job~
 
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mightierthantheswordThis 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...
Nov. 23, 2011 at 10:51 am:
Wow! This is really amazing!I wish I had your talent. I hate to bother you, but could you please check out my work? I would really appreciate your commentary.
 
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BlueBubbles95This 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...
Sept. 10, 2011 at 9:39 pm:
I loved how it showed such emotion in so little words! Hope you write more.
 
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WednesdayWritesThis 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...
Sept. 10, 2011 at 4:31 pm:
Amazing poem. I really like your use of words, description, and the quirky, somewhat dark, but always hopeful view displayed in this work.
 
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JessieBThis 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...
Jul. 28, 2011 at 8:05 pm:
It was AMAZING. I lovvvveeeddd it (:
 
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Pooja11 said...
Jul. 2, 2011 at 11:14 am:

Never seen a poem written from tht angle..details of a poetic reality. great job.

you have a queer way of describing which i think is very talented!
honestly..one of the best i've read so far

 
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NotMuchToSay said...
May 20, 2011 at 7:38 pm:
That is amazing,
 
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RedheadAtHeartThis 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. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Apr. 6, 2011 at 11:36 am:
...that's beautiful.
 
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KiyokoThis 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...
Jan. 9, 2011 at 8:13 pm:
This is really good. It's very... honest. It's hard to write really honest poetry, but this definitely is. I would really appreciate it if you would check out my writing and tell me what you think!
 
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IWillDream54This 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...
Jan. 8, 2011 at 11:09 pm:
absolutely love this. I honestly dont know what else I can say, this is amazing.
 
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reversingthetrends said...
Dec. 16, 2010 at 11:52 pm:
you know when you read something and you just feel like the person has had the exact experiences and feelings you've had, i love it, way to go, seriously poetry can go either way and this is definitely fab.
 
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GinryuStargazer said...
Nov. 25, 2010 at 6:39 pm:
It's pieces like this that actually help to place faith back into teenage writing.
 
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bluegirl440This 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. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Nov. 11, 2010 at 9:29 am:
I have an "out of place" laugh as well.....   :)
 
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AndThisIsReal This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Oct. 12, 2010 at 7:06 pm:

"And the butterflies don't flock to my outstreched fingers".

I really liked this poem. <3

 
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ellie75 said...
Oct. 12, 2010 at 12:58 pm:
This is an amazing poem. Very powerful, and great imagery!
 
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Shadow913 said...
Jul. 16, 2010 at 6:03 pm:
You have fantastic imagery in every line. And I agree with the first person that commented; despite the title, this poem is not cliche at all. It's almost like a love story that you don't expect. Fabulous(: Don't stop writing.
 
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TheAnonymousArtist said...
Jul. 16, 2010 at 2:49 pm:

despite the title, this is probably the least cliched teen poem that ive seen on this site(thank god!) 

Great work. Love the imagery.

 
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sharadyn said...
Jun. 2, 2010 at 2:41 pm:
This was quite awesome.
 
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kaates This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
May 11, 2010 at 2:08 pm:
i love how you have vivid imagery in every line. it makes you pay attention and visualize the scene without it being over-the-top. well done!
 
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BoosflashThis 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. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Apr. 19, 2010 at 12:08 pm:
I'm glad it ended, cause now I can say "hey this is really good'- so here it goes. hey this is really good.
 
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sarahhh said...
Apr. 19, 2010 at 10:05 am:
this is really gooooooooooood. i didn't want it to end. i love it
 
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bandagedisappearThis 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. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Apr. 19, 2010 at 5:55 am:
This is a well-written poem, and aside from that, I loved it! You don't go heavy on the imagery, but it's just enough to get a really beautiful picture in my mind.
 
BoosflashThis 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. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. replied...
Apr. 19, 2010 at 12:08 pm :
hmmm... heavy on the imagery? whats wrong with going heavy on the imagery?
 
bandagedisappearThis 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. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. replied...
Apr. 19, 2010 at 12:20 pm :
I like detail, but some poets speak like Hallmark greeting cards rather than writers. You know, cheesy things like: "oceans pull the tides of my love nearer to the whispering clouds of beautiful death." But imagery, if executed nicely, can be truly beautiful, and not in the Hallmark greeting card way. :)
 
BoosflashThis 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. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. replied...
Apr. 19, 2010 at 12:52 pm :
oh that was funny. thanx. I was starting to get worried about my stuff. I've been told I'm an illogical writer. too many hyperboles I think. you're right, it was well written.
 
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SolvoAnimus said...
Mar. 19, 2010 at 3:33 am:
its not the person who sees your flaws...
but the person who loves those flaws..
 
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epcelia said...
Nov. 20, 2009 at 7:01 pm:
cutee poem(; ILOVEIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 'tis very good, i wish i was so talented with a pencil and paper or a computer/keyboard whatever. but i like your name by the way ;D
 
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katielynn21 said...
Nov. 16, 2009 at 7:19 am:
i loved this it is simply beautiful.
 
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crazypoets said...
Nov. 14, 2009 at 9:25 pm:
So good! I posted this as my fb status!
 
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xxJustxxMe This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Sept. 10, 2009 at 4:59 pm:
This is really great! I love your prespective. It feel fresh
 
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lovehate29This 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. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Sept. 10, 2009 at 3:48 pm:
This piece is outstanding. I loved it. The message you convey in it, is so powerful. Also, this piece is one that is very creative and beautiful. Great job!
 
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alayapoetgirl said...
Sept. 10, 2009 at 1:32 pm:
This is so amazing. It was a lot better when I read it over all. And the message you convey is outstanding. This poem keeps me thinking........
 
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Fangz said...
Sept. 10, 2009 at 12:15 pm:
Interesting and different, with a good message and unique imagery. Its a decent poem, but with a little fine-tuning (maybe adding sound devices or a stanza tie of some sort) it would be excellent. *claps* keep writing!
 
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Amanda N. said...
Jun. 6, 2009 at 8:03 pm:
Wow. Bravo. ;)
 
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xXsmileXxThis 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. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Apr. 29, 2009 at 12:33 am:
It's different. It's interesting...i like it! I love the message and everything about this poem. Good work!
 
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firstsnowfallsThis 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. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Apr. 24, 2009 at 5:49 pm:
wow...very deep and powerful. i love it.
 
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Renaissance said...
Apr. 16, 2009 at 12:09 am:
Very sweet. It shows how you can look past flaws and be happy. Bravi to you! It is so hard to find a wonderful yet happy poem.
 
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AndThisIsReal This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Apr. 14, 2009 at 9:18 pm:
I think this is awesome.
It's charming in a really quirky cute way.
 
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Nia G. said...
Mar. 4, 2009 at 12:32 am:
that was really insanely good lol...you twisted words in a way that showed amazing emotion and sincerity...shows that imperfection isn't always the right kind of imperfection anyway
 
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Paulina B. said...
Feb. 23, 2009 at 12:11 am:
this is deep dude, really deep! keep up the good work!
 
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akinaxx said...
Jan. 26, 2009 at 6:10 pm:
Is it wrong to say that I found it uplifting? It was cute in every sense of the word, but I can definitely relate to the feeling.
 
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almost_there said...
Jan. 4, 2009 at 12:50 am:
Wow! I love this. I am slightly green with envy at the moment because I wish I had written this. This is amazing. I can relate on so many levels. Sadness laced with hope- I love it!!!
 
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Paige C. said...
Dec. 7, 2008 at 6:50 pm:
That was really beautiful. It was true in every sense of the word.
 
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dancektdance09 said...
Nov. 25, 2008 at 11:54 pm:
i really love this,it makes my heart melt =]. in fact i feel like this myself most days. major kudos tho!
 
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firemeteorite865 said...
Nov. 21, 2008 at 2:59 am:
awesome poem =)
 
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*NightRain*214* said...
Oct. 23, 2008 at 8:45 pm:
The other day I was looking for something like this and just reading it diffently speaks to my soul.
 
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crlmtg3 said...
Oct. 8, 2008 at 2:54 am:
Hi Celia, I really love this poem, i feel like it speaks the words that i cant say and its amazing on so many levels. Keep up the good work!
 
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blacbleedink said...
Sept. 24, 2008 at 2:56 am:
i printed this and hung it in my locker. i totaly understand and can totaly relate. bravo
 
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HarryPotter <3 said...
Sept. 23, 2008 at 8:08 am:
Awesome poem! I really like it! =)
 
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Tweedle Dee said...
Sept. 3, 2008 at 8:07 pm:
wow, awesome!!! you're writting is truly incredible!!!
 
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