Dirty Laundry | Teen Ink

Dirty Laundry MAG

April 2, 2009
By Zero_K DIAMOND, Moosic, Pennsylvania
Zero_K DIAMOND, Moosic, Pennsylvania
83 articles 0 photos 435 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Life's no fun if you're not insane, otherwise you grow up to be an accountant." -Moi


He is your world. He is the one you would live and die for. You love the color of his skin – different from yours – the perfect balance between light and dark, day and night. You love the way he tells you he loves you. He says he'll marry you someday.

But your mom does not approve. You wonder every day how anyone can be so bigoted. Has she not felt the way you do at some point in her life? She doesn't understand, just rants and raves about your “taste in men” in that nasally voice you hate – the one she only uses when she's angry.

Later you sit on your bed, and turn up the volume on your iPod. “All the Same” by the Sick Puppies blasts through the ear buds.

Wrong or right … black or white … if I close my eyes … it's all the same.

Your mom has forbidden you from seeing him again, and Dad's taken to keeping a shotgun in the living room.

In my life … the compromise … I'll close my eyes … it's all the same.

You remember telling him you were afraid but that you wouldn't stop seeing him. He asked you to run away with him, just drop everything and run, figure it out as you went. But you said you wanted to wait and see if it would blow over. The look in his eyes was sad, as if he knew your parents would never accept him.

You hop off your bed and start shoving clothes into an duffel bag, making a trip to the bathroom for your toothbrush. You head to your desk and stare blankly at a piece of paper, pencil in hand. You write a quote that has been in your heart from the minute your parents told you that you were making a big mistake. It's short, but it's all you need to say.

You head down the hall to the laundry room. Your mom has piles of clothes on the floor, organized by color. You grab bits from every pile and toss them to the middle, creating a mound no longer separated into lights and darks.

Green, yellow, red, blue, black, white – all heaped into one huge pile. You lay your message on the top. It doesn't say who you're with or where you're going, but it wouldn't be hard to figure out.

“Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color.”



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This article has 455 comments.


on Nov. 22 2010 at 6:33 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.

haha i love you, Elijah. although i kind of can't believe you said wonderfully...

this kid is a really great friend and despite his bob the builder pun really smart. I immediately thought of him when i read this- it is so true. amazing imagery and detailing- good work, Zero_K!!! I love how you let the reader paint their own picture. keep writing!


on Nov. 19 2010 at 1:56 pm
Amazin my mom is white and my dad is black wonderfully written bus 474 rules

on Nov. 16 2010 at 5:19 pm
BeautyandBeast BRONZE, St.Peters, Missouri
4 articles 0 photos 30 comments

Favorite Quote:
Mom: I learned my lesson, I had three of you!<br /> Daughter: You didn&#039;t learn your lesson, you had three of us!!! lol :D

that was really moving and the last part was so true

on Nov. 9 2010 at 9:32 pm
redhairCat PLATINUM, Pebble Beach, California
47 articles 20 photos 411 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I can do anything!&quot;

Really well written! Great job!

 


on Nov. 7 2010 at 4:08 pm
squalur996 GOLD, Henderson, Nevada
10 articles 3 photos 43 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character....would you slow down? Or speed up?<br /> -- Chuck Palanick

that was a great ending line!!! this was extremly well written. :)

chillifritoz said...
on Nov. 6 2010 at 10:25 pm
chillifritoz, Fayetteville, North Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 20 comments
=D that was awsome!!i can relate to this by the type of music i listen to... i think you really put some nice thought into this sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!!

on Nov. 6 2010 at 5:26 pm
Gracious PLATINUM, Go Away, Kansas
22 articles 0 photos 66 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;life sucks and then you die, yeah, i should be so lucky&quot;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> -Jacob, Twilight<br /> <br /> I&rsquo;m still that girl who falls when she runs, Getting back up, because falling is fun.

first off, congrats to the author, loved this. and to nikkigonefishing, its not a poem

on Nov. 6 2010 at 4:03 pm
nikkigonefishin GOLD, Los Angeles, California
17 articles 1 photo 145 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot; A smile is worth a thousand words&quot;<br /> &quot; The purpose of the writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.&quot;- Albert Camus

Wow I really loved this poem and Congratulations that it was published in the TI magazine it is absolutely beautiful and definetly one of my favorites :]

on Nov. 6 2010 at 1:14 pm
buddingauthor16 SILVER, Fairmount, Illinois
6 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
&#039;Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don&#039;t matter and those who matter don&#039;t mind.&#039;

This is incredible. I love it!

on Nov. 6 2010 at 12:09 pm
singingpenguin BRONZE, ..., Washington
2 articles 0 photos 31 comments

I like this :) nice job.

I like that last line-

'The only thing that should be seperated by color, is laundry.' :D

 


on Nov. 6 2010 at 12:04 pm
Vanendra BRONZE, Blasdell, New York
1 article 76 photos 311 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I just sneezed and it hurt my pelvis.&quot;~Jasmine Omg<br /> &quot;A wise girl kisses but doesn&#039;t love&quot;~Marylin Monroe<br /> &quot;I didn&#039;t tell him nowhere where you live&quot; ~me ^-^<br /> &quot;I like the wolves on this textbook, they have very legs&quot; ~Jasmine Omg

Very well written and nice message, I loved it! <3

Gadzooks GOLD said...
on Nov. 6 2010 at 10:24 am
Gadzooks GOLD, Kentwood, Michigan
11 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Handle everything as gentle as you can. And what you cannot put right, you must make as little wrong as possible.&quot; Thomas Moore

I love it so much! wonderful imagry!

on Nov. 1 2010 at 8:23 pm
FreakShow818 PLATINUM, Longmont, Colorado
23 articles 15 photos 33 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Never Let The Fear OF Striking Out Keep You From Playing The Game.&quot;

This is brilliance. I love the way it's written, the reference to the song, everything. It's beautiful, and original. There's nothing else like it on this website.

on Oct. 28 2010 at 4:34 pm
amlee1212 BRONZE, Spotsylvania, Virginia
3 articles 0 photos 19 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I&#039;ll love you forever or find something better...&quot;

You are welcome. I think this article is one of the best one's I personally, have read on here!

on Oct. 21 2010 at 6:05 pm
Kaylin_Mackenzie GOLD, Tomball, Texas
13 articles 0 photos 61 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;You might not like me, but Jesus thinks I&#039;m to die for!&quot;<br /> &quot;L.O.V.E&#039;s just another word I&#039;ll never learn to pronounce....&quot;

duuuuuuuuuude!!!  that is soooooo true!!  i've had to say that to guys before to black guys cuz they wont date me cuz i'm half white, and to white guys cuz i'm half black.  Society has been corrupted and racism sucks.

on Oct. 15 2010 at 10:19 pm
AussiMusicLover BRONZE, Central Coast, Other
4 articles 1 photo 42 comments

Favorite Quote:
When you are in Love you can&#039;t fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams <br /> The hottest love has the coldest end. <br /> Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop <br /> Falling in love is awfully simple, but falling out of love is simply awful.

That soo cool.. but i wouldnt ever run away.. not yet at least.. but GREAT STORY!!

WhiteShadows said...
on Oct. 15 2010 at 10:17 pm
WhiteShadows, Ocala, Florida
0 articles 0 photos 38 comments

Favorite Quote:
You&#039;ve gotta work like you don&#039;t need the money/love like you&#039;ll never be hurt/<br /> Sing like no one is listening/ and live like it&#039;s heaven on Earth.-Anonymous

Quote..so true

Story originality...fantastic

Writing...A++!


Ninz59 SILVER said...
on Oct. 15 2010 at 9:44 pm
Ninz59 SILVER, Orland Park, Illinois
5 articles 17 photos 71 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Love conquers all&quot;

Great Job!

 


on Oct. 15 2010 at 7:51 pm
AliceForever BRONZE, Someplace, Wisconsin
1 article 6 photos 36 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Sometimes it takes a crazy person to see the truth. If so, I&#039;m a freaking lunatic.&quot;- Stephen Colbert<br /> <br /> &quot;YOU CAN&#039;T STOP THIS TRAIN!&quot; My friend and illustrator, CK

This reminds me so much of the guy I've been crushing on forever...My parents aren't very fond of him, but I am! Love this piece!!!!

on Oct. 15 2010 at 6:55 pm
SimplyRachel PLATINUM, Charlotte, North Carolina
48 articles 6 photos 40 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift, that&#039;s why we call it the present.&quot;<br /> ~Unknown<br /> &quot;Things change, friends leave, and life doesn&#039;t stop for anybody.&quot;<br /> ~Stepgen Chbosky

I love this story. It's the same way I feel about my boyfriend too.