they used to dance | Teen Ink

they used to dance

November 20, 2011
By IzzyVT SILVER, N. Ferrisburg, Vermont
IzzyVT SILVER, N. Ferrisburg, Vermont
6 articles 0 photos 47 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If the person you are talking to doesn&#039;t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.&rdquo; <br /> ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh


for so long the words would
tango,
waltz,
pirouette
straight from my mind
through my fingers
excitedly
onto the paper
barely contained
by those parallel blue lines.

now the words stumble.
confused, they have trouble
even walking now,
let alone grapevine.

I imagine them getting lost
within me.
bumping against the walls of
my head,
my chest,
like the lights are turned off
but they aren’t.

when they do find their way
through that labyrinth
that maze
they emerge as alphabet soup,
jargon
completely and utterly
wrong.

I’ve tried to close
my eyes and reach
inside,
tried to pull off their
blindfolds
and push them,
shove them,
drag the words
with my pointer finger
in the right direction.
but they don’t seem to
respond.

maybe I should try
dance lessons.


The author's comments:
Describing words as flowing has become cliche...
What if they danced?

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This article has 4 comments.


M_IML DIAMOND said...
on Jan. 4 2012 at 1:39 pm
M_IML DIAMOND, Ganei Tikva, Other
78 articles 0 photos 61 comments
Wow! I love this... I don't think I've seen something describing the movement of words that I liked so much before, it's usually very difficult - at least for me - to describe something like this without being even just a little bit cliched... truly beautiful!! Keep it up ;-)

on Jan. 2 2012 at 8:58 pm
Anonymous_7 SILVER, Branson, Missouri
6 articles 0 photos 118 comments

Favorite Quote:
-The only time you can get away with murder is when writing a book!

This is awesome! I love how the words dance. Keep up the good work!

on Jan. 2 2012 at 4:01 pm
alexb42621 PLATINUM, Brecksville, Ohio
26 articles 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;To err is human.&quot;

This is very unique. I like how you incorporate your life style in your description. I always think it's fascinating how a sports player will use sports as a metaphor, and you used dance. (: Keep up the good work and I hope to see your other ones!

on Jan. 1 2012 at 4:18 pm
mirandablack16 SILVER, Newton, North Carolina
8 articles 4 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Boldness be my friend.&quot; -Shakespeare

This is very good. When you write, you don't just write about what you see. You write with a lot of emotion. Loved it! (: