The Byline | Teen Ink

The Byline

February 25, 2012
By LexiClare BRONZE, Allentown, Pennsylvania
LexiClare BRONZE, Allentown, Pennsylvania
1 article 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Carpe Diem: make your life extraordinary."
~"Dead Poets Society"


So prestigious is the byline,
Our achievement’s humble home.
Where letters connect; unknown formations
Catch eyes of those who roam.

Taken into precaution
Is our name up on display.
For, if we go inconspicuous
Lost words will go dismay.

As nonchalant as possible,
Observant fingers may reveal
A writer’s true identity
Now, how do you think it would feel?

If you fervently depleted the ink in your pen
Slowly, but not in vain.
You saw your masterpiece take its form...
But wait — where is your name?

For a fleeting second,
“Genius burns” and a story unfolds quickly.
In hindsight, that reverie beams success...
If my name had not quit me.

Maybe you would empathize
If the stakes held high a prize.
By incentive, you are hypnotized...
Alas, those words are in disguise.

Now honor the byline, and just imagine
The blood, sweat, and tears within her.
Because for the author, just a small acclaim,
The byline is their signature.


The author's comments:
The story behind the byline can sometimes be more interesting and complex than the story itself.

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This article has 2 comments.


on Feb. 3 2013 at 4:18 pm
LaurenBeard GOLD, Leesburg, Virginia
16 articles 1 photo 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
“I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.”
-Jack London

Hi LexiClare! :) Thank you for your kind comment on my poem Buoyant. I find it ironic how much we have in common! This poem is very nice. They rhyme isn't forced at all, and it flows well. I always enjoy poetry that has a deeper meaning that just the words on the page. You wrote about a profound subject very well! Great job! Keep writing! :)

. said...
on Jan. 26 2013 at 4:42 pm
This is really great!  I love it, I read it several times over and over.