Shade | Teen Ink

Shade MAG

February 1, 2009
By Danielle Charette BRONZE, Durham, Connecticut
Danielle Charette BRONZE, Durham, Connecticut
4 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Rock star,
drug addict,
or geriatric on the rebound from cataract surgery,
she said,
are the only legitimate personas for sunglass-wearing.

But what about style and flirtation and Jackie O?

What about beaches
and tan lines
and ocean-stained copies of Time?

What about adolescence
and wrinkled hot dogs
and the velvety shores of Jersey?

Do you have an opinion on the grammatically stunted drugstore novel
or the vulgarity of toe rings?

What of that sapphire swimsuit that’s missing three jewels
and chapped lips
and that obscene practice permissible only after achieving a stupefied state of tourism (long after fanny packs and card decks) known as bike-renting?

Seriously, Mother, what do you make of chuckling quietly at women
whose shrunken, upturned noses can’t support their aviators,
or that psychedelic rainbow emitted by misshapen lenses,
rivaled only by oil leaks in the parking lots of supermarkets?

Nonsense. UV rays are fictionalized by the same people
who invented evolution and
global warming
and NASA.

No daughter of mine shall subscribe to that mongering,
that hullabaloo.
You’ll just have to squint.

But when she turned, I shaded my rusty eyes anyway,
if for no other reason than to shield myself for a little while against that blinding
light source
called humanity.



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This article has 86 comments.


CharviK BRONZE said...
on Jun. 17 2009 at 3:56 am
CharviK BRONZE, Mumbai, Other
4 articles 0 photos 5 comments
Beautiful. I've written an article on shades too(Shady and Sophisticated), could you please read it? Though it isn't this cynical:)

Lainee said...
on Jun. 15 2009 at 10:30 pm
Your words portray tallent, allowing the reader to look through shades of individualized color to see something so common as sunglasses in such interesting insite. Bravo

on Jun. 11 2009 at 11:51 pm
cmoney1994 PLATINUM, Newark, New Jersey
20 articles 0 photos 64 comments

Favorite Quote:
Be the best you an be as you can see i try to be by writing poetry.

Only thing I'm going to say is it's A-O.K

Brandi Kim said...
on Jun. 4 2009 at 3:09 pm
Brandi Kim, Sanford, Florida
0 articles 0 photos 20 comments
beautiful. youre a great poet1

on May. 31 2009 at 3:26 am
Daniel Didok GOLD, Boiling Springs, South Carolina
16 articles 0 photos 12 comments
Beautiful. Poetry as it should be- Deep but presented in a user-friendly way. The best poem on here i've read today. There have been a few.

woohoo said...
on May. 27 2009 at 10:38 pm
That was absolutely stunning :]

It wasn't overly eloquaint or condescending, as this topic might imply...it was just real, and true, and visceral.

Brilliant; keep up the good work!

on May. 24 2009 at 8:17 pm
ShernayB. DIAMOND, Southfield, Michigan
62 articles 1 photo 881 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Some things will never change"---Tupac

I love your poem...It was very interesting and it made sense...keep it up!!

on May. 23 2009 at 1:57 am
ParasiticVirtue SILVER, Arlington, Texas
5 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Live like we're dying" -Kris Allen "Never take life to seriously. You'll never make it out alive" -Van Wilder "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow." -James Dean

Good play on words. Bravo!

on May. 22 2009 at 6:47 pm
YankeeSwagg PLATINUM, Holly Springs, North Carolina
26 articles 0 photos 78 comments

Favorite Quote:
Every burden is a blessing

This is one of the best poems I have ever read with my own 2 eyes!! Congratulations. You got my vote.

amyxu said...
on May. 22 2009 at 6:34 pm
An interesting look at sunglasses. The symbolism came in a little late for me, but good job with description!

Alexa. SILVER said...
on May. 22 2009 at 5:19 pm
Alexa. SILVER, Stockport, Other
9 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
Henry David Thoreau:<br /> <br /> &quot;Envy Is Ignorance.&quot;<br /> &quot;Imitation Is Suicide.&quot;

This poem is wile good, like it's something I can relate to, which I know has been said by so many other people, but I suppose that's because it's true loll. Nice poem anyway (Y)

Jenna P said...
on May. 22 2009 at 3:40 pm
Jenna P, Falls Church, Virginia
0 articles 4 photos 1 comment
I really like this.

Well done (:

on May. 21 2009 at 3:54 pm
I really Like your poem. I feel like i can relate to it in a way. Great job!

JasmineForever

on May. 20 2009 at 11:22 am
writer2b PLATINUM, Montville, New Jersey
26 articles 0 photos 8 comments
This is rly good although there were parts that i felt you lost the readers attention.

cvlnst BRONZE said...
on May. 20 2009 at 2:06 am
cvlnst BRONZE, Parkersburg, West Virginia
1 article 0 photos 3 comments
I really, really love this! It reminds me of my English teacher... He doubts plenty of things... He says we're slaves to our cellphones and blah, blah, blah (and I don't disagree). Very very awesome. :)

on May. 18 2009 at 9:21 pm
Creativelifelilly SILVER, Tigard, Oregon
5 articles 0 photos 2 comments
This was remarkable...it really captured me, and made want to keep reading. Great work.

snc947 GOLD said...
on May. 18 2009 at 7:38 pm
snc947 GOLD, Swansboro, North Carolina
15 articles 10 photos 40 comments
I love it! KEEP WRITING!!! ;P

on May. 16 2009 at 4:12 pm
AmberTiana SILVER, Uxbridge, Massachusetts
5 articles 0 photos 4 comments
That was interesting. You drew me in and made me ask myself, "Why is she writing about sunglasses? There must be something more." And at the end, I got my answer. Wonderful job.

SaraB. GOLD said...
on May. 14 2009 at 1:38 am
SaraB. GOLD, Phoenix, Arizona
12 articles 6 photos 215 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Whatever you are, be a good one&quot; Abraham Lincoln

Very, very, very good. I completely understood what you were trying to say.

on May. 1 2009 at 11:40 pm
-xlimitless239x- GOLD, Vanceboro, North Carolina
10 articles 0 photos 30 comments
good poem. make what you're saying clear next time. no offense.