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. 18 2012 at 3:24 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

Honestly Gold, this is the best feedback I've ever received, and it means a lot to me. I thank you whole-heartedly, I really do!

on Mar. 18 2012 at 3:13 pm
Kit-Kait BRONZE, Amherst, Virginia
1 article 0 photos 54 comments
This poem is different than any others that I have read; it shows dignity and great courage. It shows you have to fight to be who you are. It's amazing, a piece of art. I can tell that people see you some-what as a model. Keep writing a work hard, for more and more people are going to thrive on your work.

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 18 2012 at 2:56 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

Well, I do have two other poems up at the moment, belonging to this collection as too. You can read those if you'd like. Anyways, thank you for the comment!

on Mar. 18 2012 at 2:30 pm
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
--Eleanor Roosevelt

It is unique~ The title for one just set the tone. Keep up the writing and I look forward to reading more of your work!

on Mar. 18 2012 at 2:30 pm
beautifulspirit PLATINUM, Alpharetta, Georgia
35 articles 0 photos 1398 comments

Favorite Quote:
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
--Eleanor Roosevelt

It is unique~ The title for one just set the tone. Keep up the writing and I look forward to reading more of your work!

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 17 2012 at 2:07 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 thank you! Thats enough feedback, just to know you were making so much of an effort to understand it. It's very flattering.

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 17 2012 at 2:06 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 Kinzi! I'm very proud of this poem, and I'm glad you recognized the complexity of it, without it all going over your head like it does most.

on Mar. 17 2012 at 12:25 pm
Behind_a_Plastic_Smile GOLD, Roseville, California
17 articles 1 photo 129 comments

Favorite Quote:
"if you're not 1st you're last"

ok so I actually read this yesterday night thought about it til I fell asleep trying to complete rap my head around it's complexity and I read it over again this morning and still I find more and more it's jus so fantastic I can't even describe it.

Kinzi GOLD said...
on Mar. 17 2012 at 8:39 am
Kinzi GOLD, Cairo, Other
11 articles 0 photos 40 comments

Favorite Quote:
“There is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.” -J.R.R. Tolkien

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” -Mother Teresa

Wow. Im still trying to completely grasp this poem. It was so intense- not only is this compositionally awesome, it's so laden with emotion and thoughts... 

 

I loved the imagery, especially when she's compared to a flower. And maybe my favorite line- "She's the gutter w*****, the flashy escort, the exotic temptress. / She's divided, stem cut."

 

GREAT work! =D


NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 16 2012 at 8:34 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. As I pointed out before, "She is not Gone" is the weakest in the collection.

This poem, is my favorite, and the one most important to me. It was going to be the only poem I would have written, but then I felt compelled to write two companion pieces.

But ofcourse, I thank you kindly for the feedback/compliments. I like sharing my work, so long as people aren't put off by the subject matter.


on Mar. 16 2012 at 8:23 pm
UNserieswriter, New York
0 articles 0 photos 75 comments

Favorite Quote:
idk my bff jill

Wow. Much better than the other poem i read. This is exactly what i meant in my article. All the excess material on this website wont allow you to shine. But, like i said, utterly good.

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 16 2012 at 6:24 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

You got chills? Really? Thats awesome! Thats better than any other compliment or feedback! Thank you so much for favoriting it too! :D

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 16 2012 at 6:22 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

@ RedInk: Thank you! Nothing is better then having your work called beautiful. :3

@Blue: You got chills? Really? Thats awesome! That means more to me than just any compliment or feedback. Thank you for favoriting it! :D


NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 16 2012 at 6:18 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 think so!

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 16 2012 at 6:17 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 White! I'll what I can do.

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 16 2012 at 6:16 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

Interesting Perspective? Thank you kindly :D

 


NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 16 2012 at 6:14 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

Yeah, I've never really understood poetry. I just wrote what I wanted and how I wanted and called it a poem lol.

Thank you for the compliments though! :)

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 16 2012 at 6:00 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

Why not write more? Well, These three poems took a lot of me. I've never been a consistent writer. I only write under special conditions, outside school. And since I have school to worry about, whenever I have free time I usually spend it doing some leisure activity. Writing isn't a leisure activity. For me, It's work. And I'd rather not do work in my free time when I just got off working. I write slowly, and painfully. As odd as it sounds, I don't really enjoy it.

Kalie SILVER said...
on Mar. 16 2012 at 4:56 pm
Kalie SILVER, Cashmere, Washington
6 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
We are all people so why treat each other differently

Why not this is great

NickyJ BRONZE said...
on Mar. 16 2012 at 4:17 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 really happy you love it :D