Paper Cranes | Teen Ink
  1. Home
  2. Poetry
  3. Free Verse
  4. Paper Cranes

Paper Cranes

October 28, 2011
By Hannibal_the_Vegetarian_Cannibal SILVER, A Nice Place In, Virginia
More by this author
Hannibal_the_Vegetarian_Cannibal SILVER, A Nice Place In, Virginia
7 articles 2 photos 43 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it&#039;s about learning to dance in the rain.&quot; ~Anonymous<br /> <br /> <br /> &quot;For he loved her, as you can only love someone who is an echo of yourself in your time of deepest sorrow.&quot; ~ Orson Scott Card

View profile

This is the truth I tell you:
One thousand paper cranes equal
one wish
Carried up on parchment wings
not melting before rain, nor
incinerating at a lightning thrust.

one equals one thousand or
one thousand equals one. In the end
it’s all the same






(Aren’t we all, in the
surreal blackness of Death?)

Honesty --
(What is that but
make-believe for children?)
is not what we call truth,
nor is truth honesty.
Put it any way you like,
but they are twins only in your mind.

Paper cranes
are not honest,
or truthful either.
They are nothing
but embodiment of
one wish
borne on a thousand impervious wings

© Luke J., Minetrista, MN

The author's comments:
This is a strange poem I wrote, not after reading about Hiroshima (those that influenced it), but after reading Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. I really don't know how this poem came from that.
Post a comment
Submit your own

Similar Articles

Previous Next
Poetry
The Top
By imperfection GOLD
Gilroy, California
imperfection GOLD, Gilroy, California
17 articles 9 photos 45 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Dream as though you&#039;ll live forever, live as though you&#039;ll die today.&quot;<br /> ~James Dean (1931-1955), American Motion Picture Actor, symbol of rebellion

View profile
Poetry
When this poem felt eternal...
By KICK3593 PLATINUM
Roslyn Heights, New York
KICK3593 PLATINUM, Roslyn Heights, New York
49 articles 0 photos 74 comments
View profile
Poetry
Perfectly
By Christina Rudolph BRONZE
Lilburn, Georgia
Christina Rudolph BRONZE, Lilburn, Georgia
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments
View profile
Poetry
Joys of Life
By Daniel Seeley Hicks-Neal BRONZE
Westville, New Jersey
Daniel Seeley Hicks-Neal BRONZE, Westville, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 0 comments
View profile
Poetry
cry
By carreyelaine GOLD
Arlington, Tennessee
carreyelaine GOLD, Arlington, Tennessee
12 articles 4 photos 1 comment
View profile
Poetry
Med-O-Lark
By Mew13 SILVER
Princeton, New Jersey
Mew13 SILVER, Princeton, New Jersey
5 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If there were to be a universal sound depicting peace, I would surly vote for the purr.&quot;<br /> (Barbara L. Diamond)

View profile

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 12 comments.

keatskkun BRONZE said...
on Feb. 25 2020 at 12:13 pm
keatskkun BRONZE, Pasadena, California
4 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You couldn't possibly be sensible and useful, Phil, so you'd better pine away and die."<br /> Sorry Anne, you've had better moments. :)

View profile
I'm curious about the part where you said honesty is not the same thing as the truth. It occurred to me that when we're being honest, we're opening ourselves up to others and revealing to them what we THINK is the truth, but the truth that you speak about, (I like to think of it as truth with a capital T), is something mysterious, unique, something that remains unknown, hidden among everything we THINK is the truth. I really want to know what YOU meant when you said that the two are not the same.
Tongue_Blep PLATINUM said...
on Mar. 3 2012 at 3:33 pm
Tongue_Blep PLATINUM, ????, Ohio
40 articles 1 photo 769 comments
View profile
Very nice! It sparked a memory, my japanese teacher told me that one thousand cranes is like some kind of gift. Good job! :)(:
readaholic PLATINUM said...
on Feb. 2 2012 at 5:29 pm
readaholic PLATINUM, Tomahawk, Wisconsin
27 articles 0 photos 425 comments

Favorite Quote:
I&#039;d rather fail because I fell on my own face than fall because someone tripped me up<br /> ~Jhonen Vasquez

View profile
Cool poem-it touches on so many truths (and finally talks about truth itself) it's just one of those mystic poems...I loves it :)
FireIgnited said...
on Jan. 21 2012 at 12:41 pm
FireIgnited, Valley City, North Dakota
0 articles 0 photos 29 comments
View profile
First of all, I think the title Paper Cranes is great: mysterious, original, and it grabs people's attention. I think maybe you could make the poem a bit less confusing, but I did really like it--especially the last few lines. Great job :)
Love.Hate.Passion. said...
on Dec. 29 2011 at 7:22 pm
Love.Hate.Passion., Spring Valley, Illinois
0 articles 0 photos 356 comments

Favorite Quote:
~Hope. Faith. Love~<br /> ~Be proud of who you are.You are all unique in a different way.~<br /> ~I WILL NOT fade into oblivion , and become less than<br /> a distant memory.~

View profile
I think your poem flows quite nicely and your last lines were nice. I find it refreshing that someone would turn the topic of paper cranes into a completely different thing. Good job. ****
AnimaCordis GOLD said...
on Nov. 27 2011 at 5:36 am
AnimaCordis GOLD, London, Other
13 articles 0 photos 131 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Evil is when the good do nothing&quot;

View profile
I didn't know that paper cranes could hold so much meaning!
Jappyalldayeveryday said...
on Nov. 21 2011 at 8:01 am
Jappyalldayeveryday, Detroit, Michigan
0 articles 0 photos 163 comments

Favorite Quote:
They say that good things take time, but really great things happen in the blink of an eye

View profile
You have good wording, and it's a nice topic, I'm just not into paper cranes.
BluBliss GOLD said...
on Nov. 11 2011 at 5:34 am
BluBliss GOLD, New York, New York
14 articles 0 photos 161 comments

Favorite Quote:
Bella&#039;s love for Edward was like, &quot;Omg. He&#039;s hot. He&#039;s mine because he sparkles. Now I&#039;ll brood the wholle book while I&#039;m with him.&quot;

View profile
I like your wording. And you know it takes real luck to pick words that impress people. I really don't care for the grammer: that's what grammer check is for. d'uh. :p And I like the paper cranes- the first stanza was amazing.
CarrieAnn13 GOLD said...
on Nov. 10 2011 at 6:17 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.&quot; --Douglas Adams<br /> <br /> &quot;The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.&quot; --Marcus Aurelius

View profile

Okay, I have a bit of criticism.

1.  Make sure to keep your capitalization consistent.  In most instances, you capitalize the first word of a sentence, but you don't always do that.

2.  What does honesty have to do with paper cranes?

Other than that, I actually like the rhythm of this poem.  It flows very well.

Calliashi SILVER said...
on Nov. 10 2011 at 6:10 pm
Calliashi SILVER, Litchfield Park, Arizona
6 articles 0 photos 74 comments

Favorite Quote:
The man with the key is king and honey, you should see me in a crown. ~James Moriarty

View profile
Great job!!! I'm learning about Hiroshima and the atomic bomb, so it surprised me this wasn't about it! And this is one of the ONLY free verse poems I like. I mostly hate the rest, lol. Great job!
Hannibal_the_Vegetarian_Cannibal SILVER said...
on Nov. 10 2011 at 4:40 pm
Hannibal_the_Vegetarian_Cannibal SILVER, A Nice Place In, Virginia
7 articles 2 photos 43 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it&#039;s about learning to dance in the rain.&quot; ~Anonymous<br /> <br /> <br /> &quot;For he loved her, as you can only love someone who is an echo of yourself in your time of deepest sorrow.&quot; ~ Orson Scott Card

View profile
Thanks! Yeah, I'm not sure where the part about honesty came from, either. But the last verse was sort of trying to show how the paper cranes were nothing but the wish, weighed down by no human emotions or troubles. I don't really know how to say it, but it's sort of like they were the bit of the wisher that the wisher wanted to be: someone free and rising up, not weighed down by anything. That's what I think I was trying to say: when I write my best poetry, I get into this sort of poetic coma thing, where I write and write, and when I look back at my work, I think Where the heck did this come from? XD
.Izzy. BRONZE said...
on Nov. 7 2011 at 7:36 pm
.Izzy. BRONZE, Broadview Heights, Ohio
1 article 0 photos 388 comments
View profile
This is very original and creative. I like that you didn't need to rhyme to have your poem flow nicely. I am a little confused, however, on how wishing on paper cranes and honesty relate. However, I can tell that you are a very talented writer. Keep writing!