The Amazing Shrinking Town | Teen Ink

The Amazing Shrinking Town MAG

January 25, 2011
By BriannaSinger GOLD, Sacramento, California
BriannaSinger GOLD, Sacramento, California
18 articles 1 photo 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
"My karma ran over my dogma" -bumper sticker


Alone atop the wall, pushed Humpty out of my spot
deedle-lee deedle-lee deedle-lie deedle-lie
from the watch that I forgot
Sitting too high for a hummer to reach,
so the air is nice and clear
Forgotten plastic Easter eggs,
extra points next year
“Happy birthday” caught between my lips
to a little girl I never knew
An X across my initial, slice the bark of a tree
where a boy told me we were through
Muddy holes, missing shoebox treasure chest
a crayon map was supposed to lead the way
Hydrant, gaudy red
where my wrench and I used to play
Forts, a dirt clod war, enemy bushes armed
scraped knees, battle scars, we barely made a dent
An ashtray behind the drugstore
where pierced young couples go to let drinks ferment
Flip flops float in water below, a perilous odyssey
Zeus snaps the sticks, thrown as thunderbolts
Drowned fishing rods, slimy at the bottom
sticks and string, bent paperclips for hooks
The amazing shrinking town, its magic unexplained
how it seems to melt away, like ice cubes in a drink
It'll make sense when I' m older
That's what I used to think


The author's comments:
Written about my hometown, it gets smaller and smaller everyday

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This article has 3 comments.


on Nov. 6 2013 at 11:50 am
BriannaSinger GOLD, Sacramento, California
18 articles 1 photo 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
"My karma ran over my dogma" -bumper sticker

Wow, I read this two years later and see that I sounded like a total snob. This poem isn't even good enough for such a vast analysis. Thanks very much for reading, guys!  

on Feb. 17 2011 at 10:19 pm
BriannaSinger GOLD, Sacramento, California
18 articles 1 photo 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
"My karma ran over my dogma" -bumper sticker

Usually I prefer that poetry is left to interpretation, but I appreciate the comment, so here is my response. 

This poem was written about a small town I grew up in. It was the place where I spent afternoons and summer days playing and putting off mature responsibilities. 

I as I grew up, the town seemed to shrink and I got closer and closer to all sorts of new truths and "grown up stuff."

I used to think that adults knew everything, but now I can see the world in shades of grey.

The Amazing Shrinking Town is where I left all those childhood feelings behind, I am to big to fit into it anymore.

How I miss those days, I wrote this to hopefully remind others of their own shrunken memories.


on Feb. 16 2011 at 7:17 pm
FeedTheBirds SILVER, San Diego, California
6 articles 0 photos 82 comments

The last four lines really brought this poem together for me.

When you say the "amazing shrinking town" are you implying that we see our vast magical worlds shrink as we get older and see past/forget the magic?

Or was your last line meant to convey that we have hope thinks will make sense when we get older - only they don't?