Bruises | Teen Ink

Bruises

August 5, 2014
By Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski


We are only seventeen,
but our arms and legs are marred by countless failed attempts;
burned by the ropes of safety nets
and by trampolines.

Some beg to fly,
others simply to walk the silver lining in the clouds
rather than observe it from below.

I, myself, have tried both,
and found freedom in neither.

No, and I don't think they have, either,
but that doesn't keep us from flinging ourselves into open air,
again and again,
as though just once maybe Gravity will tell us,
"You don't have to come back
down."

See, I think I know what the problem is.

Despite our small hope of success,
we keep a blanket of fear and doubt below us
that whispers it's okay
if we fail.

That when you leave the nest - if your wings fold -
you may still land on feathers.

Well I swear this is the last time I leap
into the arms of my mother,
because my pleas lay pooled in the bottom of an hourglass
and the time for miracles is gone.

So I stare
over the precipice of my fears so neatly stacked against me,
towering up into the clouds,
and daring me
to jump.

Vertigo hits and I feel like I'm already falling.

The soles of my feet unwillingly hug the ledge
of this cognitive skyscraper
in a desperate
prayer.

Before God can answer me, I take a deep breath,
lunging forward,
and though I mean to form a perfect swan dive,
my limbs flail as I stumble
head over heel.

There is nothing waiting
to catch me.

No, I must face the pavement all on my own;
I must hold conversations with the broken parts of me
and learn what it's like
to have bruises.

And if I survive that, only then
can I fly.



Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 12 comments.


on Jun. 21 2015 at 12:39 am
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

Thank you so much! My name isn't actually Jade, though. It's Callie. Long story.

on Mar. 29 2015 at 6:19 pm
JadeCorrell GOLD, Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts
12 articles 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Reality continues to ruin my life.&quot;

this is really great. i liked when you said "Some beg to fly, others simply to walk the silver lining in the clouds rather than observe it from below." you are an amazing writer, and my name is Jade too!!!

on Mar. 15 2015 at 1:27 am
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

gracias :)

Beila BRONZE said...
on Mar. 5 2015 at 12:10 am
Beila BRONZE, Palo Alto, California
3 articles 0 photos 516 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.&quot; -Mark Twain

Sorry, weird that it logged me out. That was me. :)

Nora Y. said...
on Mar. 5 2015 at 12:08 am
This poem is pure artistry, Your metaphors, your rhythm, your soulful messages are exquisite. When I read this, my heart ached, but in the last line, I felt free.

on Sep. 1 2014 at 9:25 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

Thank you so much! That means more than you know

on Aug. 31 2014 at 9:35 pm
sullivano17 PLATINUM, Boston, Massachusetts
23 articles 0 photos 13 comments

Favorite Quote:
You can&#039;t make up anything anymore. The world itself is a satire. All you&#039;re doing is recording it. - Art Buchwald

this piece of poetry is simply breathtaking. i myself have struggled with suicidal thoughts/actions and i'm so damn impressed on how you captured a tragic part of life in such an intruiging way. keep on writing, because yours sure caught my eye(:

on Aug. 21 2014 at 7:34 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

Thank you (:

xiaose BRONZE said...
on Aug. 21 2014 at 6:30 pm
xiaose BRONZE, Lake Oswego, Oregon
2 articles 0 photos 12 comments
Every line of this piece is fantastic. Stunning. The message is clear and powerful. Excellent job. 

on Aug. 20 2014 at 9:51 pm
TargonTheDragon GOLD, Ofallon, Missouri
15 articles 16 photos 292 comments

Favorite Quote:
First dentistry was painless.<br /> Then bicycles were chainless,<br /> Carriages were horseless,<br /> And many laws enforceless.<br /> <br /> Next cookery was fireless,<br /> Telegraphy was wireless,<br /> Cigars were nicotineless,<br /> And coffee caffeineless.<br /> <br /> Soon oranges were seedless,<br /> The putting green was weedless,<br /> The college boy was hatless,<br /> The proper diet fatless.<br /> <br /> New motor roads are dustless,<br /> The latest steel is rustless,<br /> Our tennis courts are sodless,<br /> Our new religion &mdash; godless.

yes! do it soon! i waited so long and it was such a hassle for me. dang man, dont mess up like me! lol. hope you have a better time doing it tho, cause it can be tedious and frustrating at times.

on Aug. 20 2014 at 4:32 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

Thanks! Actually, you're right on the dot. It's about how you're in the transition to adulthood, but you can't make excuses anymore for being dependent on your parents...and how you'll have to leave home and go off to college and all that stuff. Relevant, cuz I have to start applying for college soon :P

on Aug. 19 2014 at 9:31 pm
TargonTheDragon GOLD, Ofallon, Missouri
15 articles 16 photos 292 comments

Favorite Quote:
First dentistry was painless.<br /> Then bicycles were chainless,<br /> Carriages were horseless,<br /> And many laws enforceless.<br /> <br /> Next cookery was fireless,<br /> Telegraphy was wireless,<br /> Cigars were nicotineless,<br /> And coffee caffeineless.<br /> <br /> Soon oranges were seedless,<br /> The putting green was weedless,<br /> The college boy was hatless,<br /> The proper diet fatless.<br /> <br /> New motor roads are dustless,<br /> The latest steel is rustless,<br /> Our tennis courts are sodless,<br /> Our new religion &mdash; godless.

you never ever ever cease to amaze me. this is stunning in the most natural way. i cant help but wonder if it was inspired by a desire to move out of your house (probably not) or simply the realisation that you must hold yourself accountable for your actions and suffer the fate you deserve because of them. not you personally nessisarily, just your subject.    but alluring and thought provoking, to be sure.