A Gift | Teen Ink

A Gift

February 18, 2010
By chocolateharp SILVER, Plaistow, New Hampshire
chocolateharp SILVER, Plaistow, New Hampshire
8 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Dear God," she prayed, "let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry...have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well dressed. Let me be sincere - be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost." - Betty Smith (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn)


I want to write a poem for you
as lovely as the sunset on our eyelids,
when we fell asleep on the dew stained grass

with phrases more exquisite than the pink inside of a seashell,
and the way it is delivered to our feet
on the whim of the moon.

I want my poem to resonate
like the whispers and moans of the trees at night,
holding their ancient counsel

and my words to sparkle
with the frosty radiance of the icicles
in our windows and our eyelashes.

I want to write a poem for you
more simple than the spectrum of emotions
in the wistful outline of a puddle

or the nostalgic sound of raindrops on the roof,
but more profound than the pom-pom
on top of your woolen hat.

I wish the stanzas of this composition
to quiver with the ability to stimulate your mind
and inspire your soul

much more personal than
the tender veins on the underside of a leaf
or my longing to influence your smile.

I want to write a poem for you
with the ethereal perfection
of a dream you wished into existence;

with the bittersweet taste of teardrops
and the way we hold our breath
in the silence after music.

But, alas, all I can give you
is this string of stale black letters,
and the hope they might remind you of something
more meaningful.



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This article has 10 comments.


iDogrocker said...
on Aug. 8 2010 at 8:23 pm
iDogrocker, Lebanon, Oregon
0 articles 0 photos 78 comments
This is cute and sincere and easy to visualize. You're clearly gifted with the art of showing, not telling.

on Aug. 8 2010 at 7:07 am
Still_Waters26 SILVER, Ladysmith, Wisconsin
6 articles 0 photos 88 comments

Favorite Quote:
"We few, we happy few/we band of brothers/For he to-day that sheds his blood with me/Shall be my brother"
-Shakespeare, "Henry V"

Very unique and beautiful.  I loved it!

on Jun. 14 2010 at 4:12 pm
SarahJumps SILVER, Richmond, Virginia
5 articles 0 photos 64 comments

Favorite Quote:
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity. -E.R

This is beautiful. the images are so unique and rare. I love this. check out some of my stuff too :)

*Myrissa* said...
on Mar. 4 2010 at 11:39 am
*Myrissa*, Phoenix, Arizona
0 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Whether you live in the past, thrive in the present or look to the future, your never a second away from happiness."

Wow. I was mesmerized by the way you word your feelings. to me its the feeling of the poem that catches the readers attention, you sure captured mine. its flows in a unique way and the stanzas are so general that they are able to mean certain things to certain people that also catches peoples attention. from the beginning to the end i was intrigued.

on Feb. 24 2010 at 1:47 pm
briajanelle BRONZE, Concord, California
1 article 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
" I cant help, your mom cant help you and neither can you friends, but god can help you. "

This is a one of a kind poem.

I loev the ending, well on part in

particular - "string of stale black letters" .

This honestly made me speechless .

on Feb. 23 2010 at 9:22 pm
thescientistyellow GOLD, Nauvoo, Alabama
11 articles 2 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking." - George S. Patton

This is going on my favorites list! Great job with the similes and metaphors as the others have stated....The end stanza, to me, makes it truly unique...

on Feb. 23 2010 at 6:49 pm
Lost-In-Life GOLD, Whitby, Other
11 articles 0 photos 299 comments

Favorite Quote:
It's never to late, if it weren't for the last minute many things would never get done!

This is an amazing poem. As TheWritician and PaperPlanes said the similes and metaphors were amazing. The second stanza confused me a little bit, but other than that this poem is amazingly written. Definitely continue writing, as you have talent!

on Feb. 23 2010 at 6:27 pm
PaperPlanes BRONZE, Henderson, Nevada
3 articles 0 photos 29 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see it." -Confuscious

Powerful poem. :) I think it's perfect, and I really liked the similes and metaphors you used. Great job.

on Feb. 23 2010 at 5:08 pm
TheOnlyWritician GOLD, Clermont, Florida
11 articles 0 photos 52 comments

Favorite Quote:
We loved with a love that was more than love. -Edgar Allen Poe

Incredible writing and amazing metaphors. I really liked it!(:

ThomasinaD said...
on Feb. 23 2010 at 2:35 pm
awesome poem! full of vivid images to create a subtle emotion. Who is the lucky person you wrote it for?