peanut butter walls | Teen Ink

peanut butter walls

October 24, 2014
By 3wordstodescribeme GOLD, Albuquerque, New Mexico
3wordstodescribeme GOLD, Albuquerque, New Mexico
12 articles 1 photo 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
"In the end, we all become stories." --Margaret Atwood


when i was a young girl,
my mother taught me how to make the perfect peanut butter and honey sandwich.
put peanut butter on both sides of the bread,
spreading it higher and higher at the crust,
and then put the honey inside those walls, so it doesn’t goo out the edges,
keeping it contained.

people do this too.

not everyone does this of course, building walls,
putting on honey masks.
picture this.

a beautiful boy, face like an incomplete porcelain doll,
delicate lips, soulless blue eyes,
hollow insides.
for now.
well that doll finished himself,
painted on a smile with pink lacquer,
glued on feathery eyelashes.
those soulless blue eyes got more depth to them.
he was happy, for a time.

and then he fell.
down down down to the ground.
cracks formed in his flawless face.
the pink lacquer lips got smeared.
his body broke, so he made a new one.
a thinner one.
a skinnier one.
a more beautiful one,
in his mind.

he grew out his hair to hide the cracks,
froze his blue eyes to stop the tears from falling out,
drew on a smile with red colored pencil
and even when he needed a match to start a fire and rekindle anger
he tried to choose a black pen instead and drew a butterfly on his wrist.


of course there were people that loved him and helped him through it all.
but when the doll fell
down down down to the ground
he fractured his heart too.
so he made a cast out of old drawings and incomplete math homework
and sealed those limp paper strips with honey.
he made a lock.

and threw away the key.

of course, his honey and paper armor wasn’t enough.
which was good, because that way light could filter in.
but the light hurt,
so he made another wall.
peanut butter,
ooey gooey sticky
impenetrable.
his heart was in the dark now.

and he wasn’t about to let anyone turn on the light.

inside all of us
is a tiny plant
it sits in our ribcages
and sometimes climbs out of those bony restraints.
well plants can’t grow without sunlight.
so our beautiful doll’s
heart began to get brittle
shrink, shrivel, and slowly die.

it hasn’t yet,
but it will.

unless he lets someone in
to break down the walls.



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This article has 3 comments.


on Jan. 2 2015 at 8:12 am
EmilytheBelleofA. DIAMOND, Athens, Georgia
81 articles 5 photos 1486 comments

Favorite Quote:
To love is to be vulnerable; Triumph is born out of struggle; We notice shadows most when they stand alone in the midst of overwhelming light.

You have one faithful reader, don't worry. I truly enjoy your work. I'm going to look at more of your work today. :)

on Jan. 1 2015 at 11:27 am
3wordstodescribeme GOLD, Albuquerque, New Mexico
12 articles 1 photo 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
"In the end, we all become stories." --Margaret Atwood

You are so kind! I'm incredibly flattered. I'm really glad that someone at least sees my work and enjoys it. I love the feedback! I wish more people commented. Anyway, I'll continue to submit writing now whenever I can. As long as I have one faithful reader, I'll continue to submit. Thank you again!

on Dec. 31 2014 at 8:06 pm
EmilytheBelleofA. DIAMOND, Athens, Georgia
81 articles 5 photos 1486 comments

Favorite Quote:
To love is to be vulnerable; Triumph is born out of struggle; We notice shadows most when they stand alone in the midst of overwhelming light.

Seriously, this is phenomenal. I decided to read more of your other writings today when I first read your writing, 'Christmas Blues.' But, seriously?!?! No-one has commented on your poem at all??? Pssh posh, my applesauce, for some reason I am tempted hit someone with a roll of newspaper because they didn't comment on this. I'm just being silly and crazy, lol. But, seriously. I am very surprised that no-one has commented on this yet and that I'm the first one; I'm just shocked. This poem, your creation is amazing and written with talent and a beauty and greatness. You put yourself into the words, you showed a pat of yourself through your words and I am in awe and amazed of your talent. You are an amazing and talented and wonderful writer person; and so much more. You do have talent and greatness and light; and so much more. Please, believe me because all of this and much more is true and I truly mean it. You're just amazing. Thank you so much, my friend. For sharing this, and again I thank you. I look forward to reading more of your work. :)