What About the Weeds? | Teen Ink

What About the Weeds?

July 27, 2010
By singergurl12 GOLD, Jacksonville, Florida
singergurl12 GOLD, Jacksonville, Florida
15 articles 0 photos 190 comments

Favorite Quote:
Fairy tales are true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.


A flower is beautiful, gently swaying in the breeze, her flowers polished, not one leaf out of place. She gracefully sways in tune to the song of summer, the wind, the rain, the sun. A weed grows strong and straight and tall, ignoring the breeze and bowing to no one, nothing. She pays the price for her pride, scorned and shunned by all but the other weeds. The weeds act as one, standing together out of necessity, if not out of friendship and love. You see, they need each other. They need the solidity of a union, the strength in numbers. Each one has the words and the knowledge to do whatever they want, from conducting a beautiful orchestra to ending world hunger. With the right instructor they can do anything, and although not boastful, they know it. The flowers have the same potential, although they don’t apply themselves. Some simply don’t care, others are afraid to fail, and still others distract themselves from what matters. I say this because I do not refer to the flowers who have stalks and blooms and roots, I refer to those above the ground, the ones in beautiful dresses with perfect hair and laughter. These flowers, like the true flowers, are beloved for their beauty. They are given the best food, the kindest words, and the softest touch. They grow slender and perfect. The human weeds, though, they get nothing nearly as good. They are put down, shunned from “Proper Society”. They might not have perfect hair, they probably don’t give a pile of spit about makeup, and it shows that they don’t keep up with the extreme latest trends. The weeds, however, are also the ones who help up a stranger who has fallen, who read every book for the fun of it, and who don’t need 20 “friends” to complete their life. Maybe she hasn’t been asked out on a date in a year, and maybe he can’t dance like Michael Jackson. Then again, maybe he held a door for someone else without getting a thank you in response, and was perfectly fine with it. Did you see it when she gushed about the gift her little sister got her, a clay lump painted like a rock? A flower frowns down upon anything less perfect than itself, and then tosses anything more perfect, afraid its grace dims its own. Who, then, has grace? The flower, who is perfect in every physical way, but whose heart shines not at all? Or perhaps the weed, who, while coarse and unrefined on the outside, on the inside is a pure diamond, glittering and waiting for a chance to show itself. Who, then, shows elegance? The one who can dance and dance for hours without falling or missing a step, or the one who dances horribly, yet does it with a pure and true smile on her face? The opinion is up to the reader, but keep in mind that Beautiful is a state of mind, soul and heart, not of hair, clothes, and makeup.


The author's comments:
They say discrimination and segregation is gone, but is it really?

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This article has 47 comments.


on Aug. 14 2010 at 10:54 am
singergurl12 GOLD, Jacksonville, Florida
15 articles 0 photos 190 comments

Favorite Quote:
Fairy tales are true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.

yeah sure no problem! thanks- i wish it to.

on Aug. 14 2010 at 10:53 am
singergurl12 GOLD, Jacksonville, Florida
15 articles 0 photos 190 comments

Favorite Quote:
Fairy tales are true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.

okay i can see where you got that.... thanks!

on Aug. 13 2010 at 11:35 pm
beautifulworld SILVER, Memphis, Tennessee
9 articles 0 photos 60 comments

Favorite Quote:
What's the point i wearing my favorite rocket ship underpants if no one asks to see them? -Calvin and Hobbes

oh, and if you can, would you please check out my non fiction piece "not my mom" and  comment???

on Aug. 13 2010 at 11:34 pm
beautifulworld SILVER, Memphis, Tennessee
9 articles 0 photos 60 comments

Favorite Quote:
What's the point i wearing my favorite rocket ship underpants if no one asks to see them? -Calvin and Hobbes

Wow, you are an excellant writer. This is all so true, even though sometimes I do wish otherwise. Great job!

tuzik SILVER said...
on Aug. 13 2010 at 4:48 pm
tuzik SILVER, Martinsville, New Jersey
5 articles 0 photos 37 comments
this was a really nicely written piece! all i would say is that its a little bit inconsistent - you start off with really broad and general descriptions but sometimes zone in on really particular details, which throws it off a little bit. otherwise, really nice! :)

on Aug. 6 2010 at 1:55 pm
singergurl12 GOLD, Jacksonville, Florida
15 articles 0 photos 190 comments

Favorite Quote:
Fairy tales are true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.

thanks! i really appreciate it!

on Aug. 6 2010 at 8:37 am
mudpuppy BRONZE, Orangeburg, South Carolina
2 articles 0 photos 475 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is like a box of cheese and flower petal sometimes it's soft and sweet, sometimes it just plain stinks. - M.J.

I have to admit, that I am a weed! Five out of five for this piece!

on Aug. 4 2010 at 1:53 pm
singergurl12 GOLD, Jacksonville, Florida
15 articles 0 photos 190 comments

Favorite Quote:
Fairy tales are true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.

wow- i love that! thanks for your support!

Coop123 BRONZE said...
on Aug. 3 2010 at 3:01 pm
Coop123 BRONZE, Mt. Airy, Maryland
1 article 0 photos 40 comments

Favorite Quote:
Deja vu'! This is the part where I tell you to SHUT UP!!!

Wow. I geuss im a weed to. I get wat ur saying to. How people look down on the people who see the line and take a leap over it!! <'_'>

on Aug. 3 2010 at 12:44 pm
singergurl12 GOLD, Jacksonville, Florida
15 articles 0 photos 190 comments

Favorite Quote:
Fairy tales are true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.

im glad you could relate! i really think this is true, although in the USA where "discrimination is nowhere to be found" it shouldnt be... *cough cough*. The truth is discrimination exists wherever we are, becasue its human nature. Im really happy you like it though!

on Aug. 3 2010 at 12:38 pm
singergurl12 GOLD, Jacksonville, Florida
15 articles 0 photos 190 comments

Favorite Quote:
Fairy tales are true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.

thanks bunches! im so glad you all like it! I'll certainly try to write more! knowing the *cough cough horrible* class i have this year, i will be VERY inspired...

on Aug. 3 2010 at 12:34 pm
singergurl12 GOLD, Jacksonville, Florida
15 articles 0 photos 190 comments

Favorite Quote:
Fairy tales are true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.

thanks so much April! i really appreciate your support!

Aidyl BRONZE said...
on Aug. 3 2010 at 9:19 am
Aidyl BRONZE, Oshawa, Other
4 articles 0 photos 90 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If you want a friend be a friend."

-Poster


"That's cool. Hey you know what's even cooler than triceratops? Every other dinosaur that ever existed!"
-Dwight Schrute The Office

I think most of what you said here is true, I am a weed! :D I know what you mean exactly about flowers looking down on people, not being open-minded and thinking people are weird for their differences. 

on Aug. 2 2010 at 8:07 pm
Just.A.Dream SILVER, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
7 articles 0 photos 430 comments

Favorite Quote:
Part of the J7X team. :)

This is completely true. I totally agree with this, it's more important to have a good inside than outside. You did a beautiful job writing this, and I hope you continue to write things like this! :)

on Aug. 2 2010 at 4:10 pm
SarClark BRONZE, NC, Connecticut
2 articles 0 photos 534 comments
Wow. I can really hear a voice in this, and I totally agree with Idog. Really, really nicely done. 

on Aug. 1 2010 at 2:02 pm
singergurl12 GOLD, Jacksonville, Florida
15 articles 0 photos 190 comments

Favorite Quote:
Fairy tales are true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.

Wow- that really means a LOT. The best inspiration a writer can get is for a reader to say they cant wait for more, but to say you think i should do more of the same? thank you SO INCREDIBLY MUCH. you've really inspired me to post more ;)

on Aug. 1 2010 at 1:59 pm
singergurl12 GOLD, Jacksonville, Florida
15 articles 0 photos 190 comments

Favorite Quote:
Fairy tales are true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.

Thank you so much! Im so glad you like it! Wow... me, poetic. just dont tell anyone at school- lol!

iDogrocker said...
on Aug. 1 2010 at 1:37 am
iDogrocker, Lebanon, Oregon
0 articles 0 photos 78 comments
Wow...you're a great writer, singergurl12. I love this piece. It's a great metaphor and it speaks volumes. I look forward to seeing more by you! This is a job very well done. I don't think there is much to critique about this, other than to tell you that you can always come back to it as you learn more about writing. You may even find yourself creating different versions of this. It's very good. 

_AMZ_ BRONZE said...
on Jul. 31 2010 at 11:46 pm
_AMZ_ BRONZE, Hemet, California
1 article 13 photos 269 comments

Favorite Quote:
"life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're going to get"

Great imagery, beautiful, poetic! I loved your message and the way you put it in such an easily understood way...I loved it!

on Jul. 30 2010 at 2:23 pm
singergurl12 GOLD, Jacksonville, Florida
15 articles 0 photos 190 comments

Favorite Quote:
Fairy tales are true, not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.

you are horrible, you know that? thanks tho ;)