The Gray | Teen Ink

The Gray

August 24, 2013
By ramfthomas4 PLATINUM, South Bend, Indiana
ramfthomas4 PLATINUM, South Bend, Indiana
26 articles 1 photo 98 comments

Favorite Quote:
“If the present world go astray, the cause is in you, in you it is to be sought.”
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy


What if the world were black and white?
Like splattered paint, the snow drops from the sky,
And mixes with the black, black ground,
And makes a slushy, mushy gray.

What if the world were black and white?
With clothes, all black and white and gray,
And people gray and black and white
And, then we would know how little difference there is now.

What if the world were black and white?
Would there be light?
Would shadows be permanent smudges?
Would they fall on dark ground, to be invisible?

What if the world were black and white?
And what if we could not see the snow because the grass was white?
And what if carpets just got dirtier and dirtier?
With gray, what color is gray? Do you know?

What if the world were black and white?
And what if one person
Out of all the people in the world
Could see in color.


The author's comments:
I really like the color gray, but I wrote this after thinking about what the world would be like on a gray scale.

Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 3 comments.


on Nov. 22 2013 at 4:25 pm
ArcherBoots BRONZE, South Bend, Indiana
2 articles 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

I like how, rather than stating events, you provide prompting, probing questions. It's an invitation to look at things from a new perspective. And I think that the repetition of it really adds to the work. The last stanza in particular stands out to me.

on Oct. 14 2013 at 3:09 pm
ramfthomas4 PLATINUM, South Bend, Indiana
26 articles 1 photo 98 comments

Favorite Quote:
“If the present world go astray, the cause is in you, in you it is to be sought.”
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

Thank you so much! the first stanza really gave me the idea for the other stanzas.

on Oct. 12 2013 at 7:51 pm
liveloud70x7 SILVER, Private, California
6 articles 0 photos 34 comments

Favorite Quote:
“You do not immortalize the lost by writing about them. Language buries, but does not resurrect.” --john green

"self-consciousness is the enemy of all creativity" --ray bradbury

"We suffer each other to have each other a while." -Li-Young Lee

this is such an interesting speculation! I love the pictures you paint in each stanza, especially the 1st one? and such a strong ending, I love this!