15-Minute Wait for the Results | Teen Ink

15-Minute Wait for the Results MAG

By Anonymous

Skinny bird legs lying next to mine.
The one rubbing my thigh is tapping
up and down and up and down
because you are nervous about something.
Your finger, the one with the big red plastic ring,
is tapping on the peeling dark veneer rhythmically.
Tap-a-tap-a-tap-tap-tap-tap-a-tap
Your other hand is so clammy.
Like a turtleneck on a hot day,
like a wet turtleneck on a humid day.
The salmon-colored plastic sticks to my upper arm
in the small space between us on this love seat,
peeling away from my skin when I shift
with a sticky sound. Ouch.
There’s a rip, all jagged with
school bus-colored foam poking out.
Your nails are digging in,
as short as they are.
You are so afraid.
My nails are digging into your hand as well –
I can see the red-lined moons standing out plain as sight.
What was that old saying?
Red sky at night, sailor’s delight?
Or was it take warning?
Does a moon make the night red?
I ask you out loud, you laugh,
this queer little laugh
that isn’t a laugh at all.
Not really.
And you say it’s the first.
So we should delight and dance together like
we were doing just last week under that
tacky disco ball.
The door opens with a creak that reminds me
of an old haunted house. It’s all meant to scare.
The doctor walks in – shuffles really – lab coat knocking against his knees.
He’s kind-looking and old. Like a grandfather. Or uncle. Or something.
He moves past us.
Sits at his desk.
Pulls on his glasses – his eyes look so big.
Pulls out a manila folder.
Opens it.
Turns the page. Again. Again.
Licks his lips.
Takes glasses off – his eyes are small once more.
His chin rests on his folded hands.
Pensive.
“The test was positive.”
Your grip tightens, my grip tightens.
Many red moons across our hands.



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This article has 205 comments.


Penelope GOLD said...
on Mar. 7 2010 at 7:00 pm
Penelope GOLD, Hillsborough, New Jersey
13 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
There comes a time when you have to stop thinking of yourself as the main character in your own story, but as the suppporting character in someone else's story.

I thought this was really good!!! I love your style keep writing!

on Mar. 7 2010 at 5:34 pm
Loveandboxing PLATINUM, Levvitwon, Pennsylvania
29 articles 0 photos 70 comments

Favorite Quote:
Eat, Sleep, Sing (by me)
Writing is an art few people master it. -me

to me this is okay. it needs work.

on Mar. 7 2010 at 4:20 pm
babigerl1194 PLATINUM, Margaretville, New York
23 articles 10 photos 155 comments

Favorite Quote:
wat doesnt kill you only makes you stronger

i got goosebumps and i loved te style and the way u dragged it out but kept our interest.. amazingg

on Mar. 7 2010 at 3:11 pm
ShantelTheAuthor BRONZE, North Carrollton, Mississippi
4 articles 0 photos 13 comments

Favorite Quote:
If you think you can do it go for it!

can anyone read my story "The Screams of a silent Girl"

HaHmAh12 GOLD said...
on Mar. 7 2010 at 12:55 pm
HaHmAh12 GOLD, Toledo, Ohio
12 articles 0 photos 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
"At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since." ~Salvador Dali

this is gorgeous. i love our descriptions and color! ahh!! i can almost see/feel it!! such a different take on this subject. awesome!

on Mar. 7 2010 at 8:38 am
alwayswriting14 SILVER, Northport, New York
7 articles 1 photo 38 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Everything makes sense yet nothing makes sense."

Simply amazing. You are a wonderful desrciptive writer.

on Feb. 13 2010 at 6:04 pm
Fireflie BRONZE, Danville, Pennsylvania
4 articles 0 photos 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
When life gives you lemons, make grape juice. Then sit back and wonder how the heck you did it.

simply amazing...descriptions were ingenious...i love you're style.

Aimee05 said...
on Feb. 13 2010 at 5:20 pm
Aimee05, Austin, Texas
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
"the only time success comes before work is in the dictionary" -Brett Farve

that was just amazing, and so relateable!! great jod

on Feb. 13 2010 at 1:50 pm
Dandelion PLATINUM, Franklin, Massachusetts
20 articles 8 photos 173 comments
This was just fabulous! Oh, what is it? What is the test? The question burns inside me, yet I know it's the thing that makes this poem so great.

on Feb. 13 2010 at 10:15 am
DallysGrrl PLATINUM, Middlesex, New Jersey
20 articles 0 photos 199 comments
Great job!!

on Jan. 22 2010 at 9:17 pm
Wow. Really amazing. Keep it up! I hope this isn't written from experience...? Since it certainly seems like an unwanted pregnancy ... Anyway, loved it!

on Jan. 22 2010 at 8:24 pm
sleeplessdreamer PLATINUM, Raleigh, North Carolina
30 articles 0 photos 332 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I have always wanted to write in such a way that people say, 'I have always thought that but never found the words for it.'" -anonymous

Really great. I was really impressed. You have magnificent descriptions.

on Jan. 22 2010 at 7:10 pm
AlcinoustheXIIth, Cedar Hill, Texas
0 articles 1 photo 11 comments
I love how you can't even tell whether or not the couple wanted to get pregnant ...Ambiguity = good writing :)

on Jan. 22 2010 at 7:01 pm
live.create16 GOLD, Dedham, Maine
11 articles 4 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.
- Louisa May Alcott.

i really like this! you're really good with your descriptions!

on Jan. 1 2010 at 7:52 pm
Adri_eyes SILVER, Miami, Florida
5 articles 4 photos 2 comments
wow! Thats amazing! I love you style of writing. it was a pregnancy test, right?

EmelyJ GOLD said...
on Dec. 31 2009 at 9:22 pm
EmelyJ GOLD, Bronx, New York
10 articles 0 photos 23 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A mistake is not a mistake if you learn from it. If you learn from it, it's not a mistake, it's a lesson."

This is absolutlely amazing! You have a great talent.

on Dec. 31 2009 at 3:20 pm
Transatlantic, Bonne Terre, Missouri
0 articles 0 photos 8 comments
This is really good, and I love your decriptions. Your writing style is really nifty. And while the ending is clearly open-ended, I think it's perfect that way.

wArm_FuZzies said...
on Dec. 31 2009 at 9:23 am
I love all the description, but at the same time you made it so mysterious. My guess is that you're talking about pregnancy . Yes or no?

gueydangirl said...
on Dec. 10 2009 at 3:57 pm
Wow. That was really good. I can tell that your talken about pregnecy.

on Dec. 9 2009 at 8:32 pm
freespirit94 GOLD, St. Louis, Missouri
11 articles 0 photos 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
“Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in their looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are."
-Marcus Zusak

Wow I loved the description and imagery in here. it was kinda like a poem, but i see that the way you put it together makes it mysterious. i definitely felt the tension in it. But I have to admit I didn't quite understand it. More details would have been better, but otherwise, it was awesome! :)