Captivity | Teen Ink

Captivity MAG

July 28, 2013
By gracebrindle DIAMOND, Westfield, New Jersey
gracebrindle DIAMOND, Westfield, New Jersey
54 articles 27 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
"People are screwed up in this world. I'd rather be with someone screwed up and open about it than somebody perfect and ready to explode." - Ned Vizzini, It's Kind of a Funny Story


I remember
those summer nights
spent capping fireflies
in disposable containers.
we rid them of their wings,
thrust them into jars,
and screwed the lid as tightly as possible
so they could not escape.
we tortured them into submission,
beat them into glowing,
filling empty space.
with each flash,
their lights grew dimmer along
with their heartbeats.
no wonder they call them lightning bugs.

I remember when you took me to the zoo
and I wondered why the caged animals
did not sing
and you answered that it was for the
same reason
my mother left,
and nothing further.

I remember
when I wanted to be a butterfly
for Halloween, aching for days over
catalogues and pixie dust.
you replied no,
the costume was too expensive,
and so you ripped off my wings
and tossed them into the attic to rot.
I was a prisoner instead.



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This article has 1 comment.


Mckay ELITE said...
on Jul. 2 2014 at 7:57 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

AWWWWWEEEEEE. This is one of the saddest poems I've read in so long. The ending really took my by surprise. The start reminded me of my childhood. I did the same to fireflies. I really like how you said "capping" rather than catching or trapping. Then that second stanza just crushed me. Let's not even begin with that last stanza. Tear-jerker. Really well done throughout the poem. 5/5