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Ponderings on My Carpet 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 settle back with a dull thump
Onto the carpet that should’ve been swept last week.
Oh well.
I had better things to do.
Besides
When I am gone this is how I will be remembered, I think:
The little bits of everything strewn across the floor.
Only a bit of dirt or a ragged thread left for someone else to stumble over,
But to some sentimental soul, it could mean that time we went to the creek
And laughed all night, the only souvenir the mud on our shoes.
Or the day I noticed my favorite jeans were frayed at the cuffs
And left them that way, only to have that ragged thread fall,
Marking something, some small moment of my life
Pressed into the carpet for all to see.
So there it is,
My little carpet collage –
Bits of this and that,
Bits of memories,
Bits of my life –
Taking refuge in the protective crevices of my carpet.
How could I destroy this with one sweep of a vacuum?
…You’re not buying it?
All right, I’ll sweep the floor.

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 September 2008 Teen Ink Poetry Contest.




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This article has 39 comments. Post your own!

Goldy97This 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...
May 14 at 9:02 am:
I really like this one as well and it also has alot of meaning to it and behind it.
 
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IndiloveThis 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...
May 14 at 8:22 am:
This is great!!! I love how you ended it, giving in and deciding to sweep the floor it makes the readers go NO! DON'T SWEEP THE FLOOR!!!! hahahaha anyway I love how much I and others can relate to this!! This will be my new excuse to not vacuum hahahaha ;)
 
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Mimi15This 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. 22 at 11:52 am:
Check out my poem "puddle-wonderful" :)
 
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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...
Apr. 7 at 10:41 am:
This is very nice, and the humorous twist at the end was a very nice touch. My only suggestion is to perhaps get more examples of the things that you could be leaving behind, and give them very vividly. well done!
 
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Tornado M. This 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...
Mar. 9 at 10:31 pm:
I wasn't too impressed at the beginning, but when I really got it, I smiled. It was nice. :)
 
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Dreamer13This 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...
Feb. 16 at 3:53 pm:
Hilarious ending! i love it :) could someone check out some of my work, please?
 
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laurenhoff96 said...
Jan. 3 at 7:37 pm:
I loved the ending :) It was actually so funny! Keep writing because you're amazing at it!
 
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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...
Dec. 29, 2011 at 7:03 pm:
I like it---it's like if all we are can be summed up with what's on our floor. The poem is funny too at the end---are you really too lazy to sweep the floor? Lol
 
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Ella1This 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. 20, 2011 at 8:48 am:
Nice perspective, I like your take on it!
 
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AlexandrathepoetThis 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. 10, 2011 at 7:40 pm:

This reminds me of a poem I read in a childrens book of poetry in second grade, i think it was shel silverstein, about how his room held all his artifacts, and it was his museum.

 

 
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ThePeaceDaisyThis 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...
Oct. 29, 2011 at 3:25 pm:
Lol funny! :D I'm gonna try that!
 
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Lexie96This 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...
Oct. 23, 2011 at 3:21 pm:
Loved it! :) sounds like my carpet. Think that you could check out some of my work? Anybody? Please?
 
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spencyThis 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...
Jun. 13, 2011 at 11:16 am:
5/5 good job...visit me comment and rate
 
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SKSK1214 said...
Jan. 10, 2011 at 11:03 pm:
LOL great work. very good :)
 
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whatireallythink said...
Oct. 10, 2010 at 1:41 pm:
I really really liked this.... I like the twist at the end. :D
 
KrystalTThis 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. replied...
Nov. 26, 2010 at 1:51 pm :
This was really funny
 
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S. said...
Sept. 6, 2010 at 2:32 pm:
Fantastic! At first it sounds like a horrid attempt at being "deep," but in the end, it's just what any teen would do to get out of vacuuming. I loved the funny ending. It put a big smile on my face.
 
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aDreamer said...
Sept. 6, 2010 at 2:19 am:

awesome. i like how its really deep and profound, and then at the end it gives you a smile:) great job, keep it up.

read some of mine? :)

 
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DiamondsIntheGrassThis 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...
Jul. 24, 2010 at 2:00 pm:
love how sentimental it is and then you have that slightly random and humorus ending.  super poem!
 
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desi95 said...
Jun. 26, 2010 at 9:14 pm:
amazing, I felt the same way, like everything was  ment to stay the same, it made me laff at the end too :)
 
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pinkypromise23 This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Jun. 10, 2010 at 10:42 am:
great job...made me smile(;
 
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shafer15This 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. 27, 2010 at 9:35 pm:
I thought this was very inspiring and it sounded like you were trying to explain that somehow we all want to leave some part of us behind and sometimes memories are all we have. And for that I absolutly loved it!!
 
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xxMissCinixx said...
Apr. 24, 2010 at 10:27 pm:
Such a creative poem! i love it so much.
 
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aspiring.author.09 This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Feb. 20, 2010 at 7:19 pm:
This was very misleading to me, in an incredibly humorous and satisfying way! I thought you were going to rant about your lover or something, and instead it was like an excuse to your mother or roommate. Clever! I love it!
 
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MorningStar15This 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...
Jan. 23, 2010 at 8:17 pm:
i <3 it i<3 it i <3 it
 
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Corinnee<3 This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Nov. 6, 2009 at 8:26 pm:
This is a very great poem! I really liked it and sort of got the message:) That was quite creative!!
 
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<3::wish4wings::<3 This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Mar. 16, 2009 at 8:16 pm:
lol i like this=]
 
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SoccerGrl517 said...
Feb. 15, 2009 at 9:27 pm:
I liked it. It was good and funny. It makes you smile and laugh. :)
 
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AndThisIsReal said...
Jan. 23, 2009 at 3:27 pm:
Wow, this make me laugh.
I really liked it, no lie.
It was simple and light, wich I usually don't like, but I did.
:)
 
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kianapearl said...
Dec. 20, 2008 at 8:13 am:
LOVE IT!!
 
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kianapearl said...
Dec. 19, 2008 at 4:38 am:
Great poem. Defintely makes the reader smile...Keep writing:)
 
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swinginme! said...
Dec. 14, 2008 at 6:51 am:
great! i loved the comic affect it had- brilliance! =]
 
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crich897 said...
Nov. 20, 2008 at 12:50 pm:
love this. love the idea and the way you put it all together. wonderful.
 
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James Baker, 40 Lavers Oak, Martock. Aka. The Smok said...
Nov. 20, 2008 at 10:26 am:
I liked it to start with, but then my opinions soon changed. I thought it was a bit of a 'SNAKE IN THE GRASS' Joking pun.
 
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Duckie430 said...
Nov. 11, 2008 at 1:04 am:
LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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jsjmmmy said...
Nov. 3, 2008 at 5:49 pm:
i really liked your poem
 
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4lyfebasketball said...
Oct. 21, 2008 at 6:19 pm:
LOVE IT!!
 
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Globie R. Squash said...
Sept. 25, 2008 at 1:06 am:
LOVE the ending!!! I've had moments like this though, I'll hold a piece of paper or a shirt that doesn't fit, and think "I can't get rid of this. Look at all that potential, all those memories." But the next second I cover up the weird emotional display with something comical or stupid so noone will ever know... ... ...
 
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inkstain said...
Sept. 17, 2008 at 10:58 pm:
Funny and eloquently written. I might try that excuse next time I have to sweep the floor ;)
 
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