Paint It Black | Teen Ink

Paint It Black

January 1, 2011
By lilmartz PLATINUM, Perrysburg, Ohio
lilmartz PLATINUM, Perrysburg, Ohio
40 articles 5 photos 163 comments

Favorite Quote:
Live Life Like A Party That Never Ends


Black nail polish
War paint for my fingers
A sign, a story, about my past
Nails are strong and durable
I will never let you see me cry
Nails break wears and chips the paint
More pain is inflicted upon me
Dark images fill my head as painful memories are brought back to life
Some things you can never forget
I paint my nails black
To show the world what I’ve been through,
where I stand, and how I feel
In a broken world, true love can not exist
You learn that the people you love most cause you the most pain
And so I cover up the clear blue tears and the scarlet blood
With a heavy coat of black paint
To move beyond, but never forget
The pain I went through,
The suffering that brings me to where I am today,
And the heart throb that makes me who I am
This is why I paint it black


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This article has 25 comments.


on Jul. 26 2011 at 9:06 am
Alcanno DIAMOND, Mexia, Texas
59 articles 0 photos 670 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If you love life, don&#039;t waste time, for time is what life is<br /> made up of.&quot;<br /> <br /> -- Bruce Lee

This is AMAZING :) its oh-so-inspiring and I love the imagery and symbolisim you incorporated in this poem. I'm glad you suggested it to me, I can really relate. :)

on Jul. 18 2011 at 7:40 pm
TheHangingGirl BRONZE, Winter Haven, Florida
1 article 1 photo 250 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Poets utter great and wise things that they themselves can not comprehend.&quot;

:') I relate. I love it. Im speechless.

on Jun. 19 2011 at 9:53 pm
SecretFlame PLATINUM, Portland, Oregon
20 articles 1 photo 373 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I have a life. I just choose to ignore it.&quot;<br /> -one of my friends

I love it! It's so deep and so real! The flow is wonderful and the rhythm great. The entire poem is amazing. You're an incredible writer!

on May. 16 2011 at 7:26 am
Flyleaf_Rules SILVER, Bridgeport, Connecticut
9 articles 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
My love for you is like a fake rose.

This poem really puts many images in my head, which is awesome creativity, great poem!! ^_^

on Apr. 3 2011 at 4:59 pm
Zaylie PLATINUM, Everett, Washington
24 articles 13 photos 29 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;It&#039;s not the kind, the kind you take about it&#039;s just the kind that rips the clothing off your mind.&quot; -Flyleaf <br /> &quot;You feet in the air, Your head on the ground Try this trick and spin it yeah Your head will colapse when there&#039;s nothing it in.&quot;-Pixies

This is one I understand.

 

I love it.

 

I makes everything that I've ever felt about cutting and other things come back. But seeing it in a completely different way. Thank you so much.


Basketball23 said...
on Mar. 20 2011 at 8:16 pm
This is outstanding!  What the black pain symbolizes is so relatable on almost everyone's standards!

on Mar. 2 2011 at 3:00 pm
Hazel-daisy GOLD, --, Other
19 articles 0 photos 324 comments

Favorite Quote:
It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else - Erna Bombeck<br /> <br /> In three words i can sum up everything I&#039;ve learned in life: it goes on -Robert Frost<br /> <br /> Live, Love, Laugh - ______<br /> <br /> Hope, Love, breathe &lt;3 - Me

i know i already commented on this in the forums but i'm just going to say again i love it!! (i left a longer comment ages ago in the one in the forums!!) 5/5 and this should be in the magazine!!

hopelovepain said...
on Feb. 28 2011 at 6:58 pm
hopelovepain, Maplewood, New Jersey
0 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
The ones who say they love us are the ones that hurt us the most.

I love love love this! I think it really hits home and makes us all remember that a girl with black-painted nails isn't just a girl with black-painted nails; she's been through something. However, there are a few things: 

"heart throb" - is there a better way to phrase that?

"This is why I paint it black" would it be better to use a period at the end? It also seems like a tiny bit of a jarring transition from the line above. Perhaps do;

and this is why

I paint it black.

or something along those lines.

Also, perhaps split up line 8? (dark ... memories) 

Maybe a period after line 9. 

Just look at punctuation, etc. Overall, I love the poem and really think it's wonderful. 


on Feb. 27 2011 at 10:15 am
amandap PLATINUM, Midlothian, Virginia
31 articles 0 photos 183 comments
ahahha this hit home, because I wear black nail polish for almost these same reasons :) I like that you put so many things into a small bottle of paint. great job :)

on Feb. 23 2011 at 10:09 pm
Internal-Love PLATINUM, Queens, New York
33 articles 3 photos 310 comments

Favorite Quote:
Nothing&#039;s black or white, its all just a shade of gray---<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> TI &quot;Live your Life&quot; ft Rihanna

you put something so huge and important into something as small and simple as black nail polish..............WOW

on Feb. 21 2011 at 6:38 pm

This is an extremely heartfelt and emotional piece. I was simply amazed by it. I've never thought of wearing black in this way, so.....all in all, WOW.

5.5/5


Duckie430 said...
on Feb. 20 2011 at 12:23 pm
Duckie430, Riverside, Rhode Island
0 articles 0 photos 228 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;The secret to life is being who you are and being happy with who you are.&rdquo;<br /> &quot;Whatever does not kill you only makes you stronger.&quot;

your idea for this is great-this poem is very original & creative. there's alot of emotion in this piece, too. all in all, very good job :)

on Feb. 9 2011 at 9:10 am
alicen1ndrland GOLD, Bethesda, Maryland
10 articles 1 photo 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;The moment you think you understand a great work of art, it&#039;s dead for you.&rdquo;<br /> ~Oscar Wilde<br /> I must lie down where all the ladders start<br /> In the foul rag and bone shop of the heart. <br /> ~William Butler Yeats

very nice style of writing. You know how to separate clauses without making it choppy. Keep up the good work!

on Feb. 7 2011 at 9:05 pm
xx..PieIsAwkward..xx BRONZE, Godfrey, Illinois
4 articles 0 photos 84 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;stap it, rahn&quot;

This is really, quite really, very good!

Most people just wear black nail polish because it'll make them feel cool, but this brings a whole new meaning to it.

I usually wear black, except for one nail, which I paint blue. (In memory of Charlie Pace)

But now I definitely appreciate my nails more, this should be published in the magazine :]


on Feb. 3 2011 at 4:57 pm
AmandaPanda123 SILVER, Brookville, Pennsylvania
9 articles 0 photos 64 comments

Favorite Quote:
Memories are forever.

I think I must have read this before...I think that it's amazing how you created a story throughout this poem.

on Feb. 3 2011 at 6:33 am
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.

i really like this peice! i often paint my nails black, and i love that story behind this peice. i really liked how you gave it a voice.

on Feb. 3 2011 at 1:44 am
PerfectMGymnast DIAMOND, Parker, Colorado
57 articles 25 photos 633 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If you don&#039;t leap you&#039;lll never know what it&#039;s like to fly&quot;

i love the whole idea of this poem!! it is very original and very beautiful!! my favorite line was "in a broken world true love can not exist"

Vidra PLATINUM said...
on Jan. 31 2011 at 7:38 pm
Vidra PLATINUM, Midlothian, Virginia
46 articles 17 photos 89 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;I write only because<br /> There is a voice within me<br /> That will not be still.&rdquo;<br /> -Sylvia Plath

I really love this poem. :) It's powerful, deep, and gives a whole new reason of wearing black nail polish and how something so simple can mean so much. :) Great writing!

on Jan. 30 2011 at 9:20 pm
Elizabeth_Day SILVER, Battle Ground, Washington
9 articles 0 photos 34 comments
This is really incredible.  It has a sort of loose feeling rhythm that i really like.  "To move beyond, but never forget" has a really excellent feel to it.  I've never thought of black nail polish like this before, but now i always will.

on Jan. 29 2011 at 1:31 pm
OliviaShea GOLD, Lakewood, Washington
10 articles 0 photos 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind dont matter, and those who matter dont mind&quot; &quot;you know you&#039;re in love when you can&#039;t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams&quot;

this is really good! it reminds us that even the simplest things that people do may tell us about who they are and what they have been through.