The Girl with the Glasgow Grin | Teen Ink

The Girl with the Glasgow Grin

February 6, 2012
By NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
1 article 0 photos 138 comments

Favorite Quote:
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost


I see the monument in the distance
And a blossom blooms in my brain.
My feet stop dead in their tracks,
Omniscient of the lots around them.
January shivers down my spine,
Unlocking a memory I want to forget;
But I see her face every-time.
She has no name.
They call her The Girl with the Glasgow Grin.

My heart beats heavy
When I think of her.
I see her:
Her laugh, her fear, her plea;
A life clipped short.
But they don't care;
She's a present to them, a mystery wrapped in enigma,
Just as the Wolf-Man sent.
She is more to me, a part of me.
Why? Why do I feel this horrific bond?
I never knew her.
I never knew The Girl with the Glasgow Grin.

My eyes haven't tricked me, time has.
I see her there, lying among the clumps of brown grass,
Arms beckoning in false exaltation,
Her dreams eaten by weeds.
The curls of her black petals,
Burnt wisps in stagnant air.
Warm skin melted to ivory;
Translucent eyes turned opaque.
They rejoice at the sight of her, the Fiends!
This is all she is to them:
The Girl with the Glasgow Grin.

They like to gossip
And libel her.
She's the gutter w*****, the flashy escort, the exotic temptress.
She's divided, stem cut.
The flower preserved in perversity,
The roots tainted by noir.
But I see her unscathed:
Sweet.
Kind.
Naïve.
Lost, trying to find her way.
What have they done to you?
You are more than what they have made you.
You are more than The Girl with the Glasgow Grin.

I know the truth
But I am just one.
I can't stop them. They won't listen.
They need only what the Wolf-Man has given.
I want to tell her it's not her fault.
I want to tell her it's okay.
But she can't hear me;
She's a memory now,
Silenced in a world where she can not speak,
Can not feel,
Can not cry her liquid tears.
What about me? I come back to myself.
I should be moving on, yet I linger
So that I might catch a glimpse
Of The Girl with the Glasgow Grin.

The author's comments:
This is the first poem I've written in six years. I'm not sure why I felt so compelled to write this. It's dark, but it has deep personal meaning to me.

This is the first in a collection of three.

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This article has 145 comments.


NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 16 2012 at 4:16 pm
NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
1 article 0 photos 138 comments

Favorite Quote:
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost

Probably not for a long time. XD

on Mar. 16 2012 at 3:56 pm
BriRose2014 SILVER, Fremont, Nebraska
9 articles 0 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A man reserves his true and deepest love not for the species of woman in whose company he finds himself electrified and enkindled, but for that one in whose company he may feel tenderly drowsy."
-George Jean Nathan

keep making more!

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 16 2012 at 3:39 pm
NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
1 article 0 photos 138 comments

Favorite Quote:
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost

Wow Thanks! It's much appreciated! :)

dreamshaker said...
on Mar. 16 2012 at 3:27 pm
dreamshaker, Clarkston, Michigan
0 articles 0 photos 64 comments
This is amazing.
I can't even pick my favorite part - it was all so good.

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 14 2012 at 9:12 pm
NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
1 article 0 photos 138 comments

Favorite Quote:
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost

I'm glad you found it compelling! :D

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 14 2012 at 9:11 pm
NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
1 article 0 photos 138 comments

Favorite Quote:
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost

Hah! Thank you kind stranger ;)

But I must humbly disagree. This happens to be my favorite among the others, and I believe it stands alone among them. Although I can't deny it is a convoluted poem.


NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 14 2012 at 9:09 pm
NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
1 article 0 photos 138 comments

Favorite Quote:
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost

Could you elaborate on what you mean by "character"? And thank you for the compliment!

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 14 2012 at 9:08 pm
NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
1 article 0 photos 138 comments

Favorite Quote:
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost

Thank You, I'm glad you liked it!

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 14 2012 at 9:06 pm
NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
1 article 0 photos 138 comments

Favorite Quote:
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost

Thank You! I really appreciate it. I hope you do read the others. This is only Part 1 of the story, and I really want people to continue reading on past this individual poem :)

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 14 2012 at 9:04 pm
NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
1 article 0 photos 138 comments

Favorite Quote:
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost

Thank You! I'm glad you like my vocabulary :3

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 14 2012 at 9:04 pm
NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
1 article 0 photos 138 comments

Favorite Quote:
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost

Thank You! While I have not read the Twilight series, I can assure you, The girl in this poem is not a vampire in any way. :)

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 12 2012 at 5:57 pm
NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
1 article 0 photos 138 comments

Favorite Quote:
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost

Thank You very much for the kind words! I always appreciate feedback from people, and even more so such great compliments! I'm especially grateful to you for your in depth description.

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 12 2012 at 5:55 pm
NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
1 article 0 photos 138 comments

Favorite Quote:
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost

Thank you for the compliments. Although the inspiration I had for this poem is within my dark place, and I don't really like spending time there if you know what I mean. I wrote this for release, so I might be able to spend less time there.

Don't worry though, I'm inspired by plenty of other things to continue writing ;)

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 12 2012 at 5:53 pm
NickyJ BRONZE, Hyde Park, New York
1 article 0 photos 138 comments

Favorite Quote:
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ~Robert Frost

Thank You Very Much!

on Mar. 12 2012 at 5:34 pm
evnewman BRONZE, Lake Oswego, Oregon
2 articles 0 photos 3 comments
WOW! this is really good! I like it a lot actually! keep writing because you're really really really good :)

on Mar. 12 2012 at 2:35 am
AugustSummerFling PLATINUM, Mylapore, Chennai, Other
35 articles 0 photos 265 comments

Favorite Quote:
'For you, a thousand times over.' - Hassan, The Kite Runner

A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit.

omg this was excellent!! have u read the Twilight series? 'The girl with the glasgow grin' sounds like a dangerous but beautiful vampire :D love your poem!! please check out my work too if u got time!! thanks :)

on Mar. 7 2012 at 8:32 pm
CeCelia32 BRONZE, New York City, New York
4 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Nobody had the heart to tell Steve the truth."











- The Bee Thing :)

I think this is an amazing poem!!! whatever you get your inspiration from..... just.. keep being near that thing.... it makes you a wonderful author!!!!! :)

Regia SILVER said...
on Mar. 6 2012 at 11:41 am
Regia SILVER, Greenville, South Carolina
7 articles 1 photo 37 comments

Favorite Quote:
You laugh because I'm different, I laugh because you're all the same.
We're only young once, but with humor we can be immature forever.
If you're going to get into trouble for hitting someone, you might as well do it hard.
After a game, the king and the pawn go in the same box.

Incroyable! Excellent! I was awestruck, truly, I was. This is quite an incredible bit of work you've done here! Love the vocabulary. Love the imagery. Love the amazing way you characterized the entire poem. The whole way through, I felt like I could reach out and touch it. You've done an amazing job with this poem.

on Mar. 3 2012 at 10:20 pm
StarryEyedDreamer BRONZE, Lompoc, California
1 article 0 photos 1 comment
This is an amazing poem. I love your use of vocabulary.

on Mar. 3 2012 at 6:28 pm
thatclarinetgirl12 BRONZE, Point Pleasant, West Virginia
2 articles 0 photos 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
"everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it's stupid."-Albert Einstein

this is simply awsome! i will read your others when i can. keep writing