Chalkboard Scribbles | Teen Ink

Chalkboard Scribbles MAG

By Anonymous

Scribbles on the chalkboard. That’s all that was really there, some shapes probably, numbers and some math symbols. He knew them all – not like it was a foreign language. It was just kind of pointless. It wasn’t even a chalkboard; it was a whiteboard. But chalkboards were more poetic. It flowed better, anyway. He let that thought swirl around his mind for a bit. Sort of like the mysterious liquid they gave you instead of wine on Thanksgiving when you were a kid.

Well not really, especially since he knew what the liquid was (sparkling cider) and thoughts don’t swirl. At least they didn’t for him. They just hung there, more like old rusty thumbtacks that hold up papers for a few days then pop out of the corkboard. Yeah, sort of like that. He let his thoughts drift. Considering they were rusty thumbtacks that were bound to pop anyway, he sort of let them hang for a bit then sink away somewhere. Oblivion perhaps.

Suddenly a hand touched his shoulder, he was half pulled out of his thoughts, staring at the whiteboard; he realized he hadn’t blinked in far too long. His eyes were watering.

“Zack, I would appreciate it if you’d pay attention,” the owner of the hand hissed. Oh yeah. Math. That’s right. Some variation of some useless formula was what the symbols and scribbles on the whiteboard were. He nodded, slightly, as if he didn’t really mean it. Because he didn’t mean it at all.

His mind was elsewhere, preoccupied with words, not numbers. Although he now seemed enraptured by the strange markings on the board, he didn’t actually care. He mentally laughed at his own thoughts, if he laughed in the physical sense, people would stare at him, probably snicker behind his back at some untold joke. Again, not that he cared, it was just kind of annoying, you know? No, you probably don’t.

He let his mind make the popping of rusty thumbtacks its priority. Did they make a sound? He’d have to figure it out, do some sort of scientific report on it or something. Win a Nobel Prize for it. What a clever little boy. No more snickering behind his back. He laughed, this time physically. Luckily the sound was drowned out by the fourth bell, the one that meant lunch. He snagged his iPod from his messenger bag and trotted, yeah, like a horse, off to the lunch room.



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This article has 128 comments.


This is great. Excellent. I love it.

on Mar. 2 2017 at 12:44 pm
TheEvergreen SILVER, Birmingham, Alabama
8 articles 0 photos 64 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Never laugh at live dragons." -JRR Tolkien

I relate to this character so much. It's not even funny. My conscience is like a prattling songbird. Or is it more like a hyperactive cricket?

on Aug. 16 2016 at 3:08 am
ethereal_dar GOLD, Manila, Other
11 articles 0 photos 6 comments
its a connotative article its coooool~

bluhs said...
on May. 6 2012 at 12:39 am
bluhs, E, Alabama
0 articles 0 photos 111 comments
I loved it! You are a wonderful writer.

on Apr. 14 2012 at 2:03 am
IAmWhoIWantToBe PLATINUM, Manila, Other
41 articles 0 photos 650 comments

Favorite Quote:
‎"I’m learning how to drown out the constant noise that is such an inseparable part of my life. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say to the world: I run my world." - Beyoncé

I really like this piece and I think this is beautifully written. Although I kind of like Math, I like this article too. Good job!

on Mar. 1 2012 at 3:41 pm
all.of.the.colors. BRONZE, Miramar, Florida
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken. -Oscar Wilde

The personality of character shines quite nicely in your story. :) Excellent work. 

on Feb. 8 2012 at 11:06 am
GingerLily BRONZE, Aulnay-sur-Mauldre, Other
3 articles 6 photos 78 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world" - Oscar Wilde

You really get a sense of who the character is from this piece, without you really having to say much at all. This is amazing.

on Feb. 8 2012 at 7:42 am
thebrighterparts BRONZE, Newton, Massachusetts
3 articles 0 photos 7 comments
At first I felt like the way it was written was a little strange, but when I reached the end it fit precisely. And just having been in a droning, boring math class in which I was drifting in and out of attentiveness, it is very fitting indeed.

on Jan. 17 2012 at 2:26 pm
Jamers_smile GOLD, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
11 articles 0 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable.

the way this was written... it's just too good for words. the tone is completely perfect and you can totally understand how uninterested he is in math. I love it. Simply love it. The character has so much depth to him in such a little space.

on Jan. 17 2012 at 4:41 am
BriannaSinger GOLD, Sacramento, California
18 articles 1 photo 12 comments

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

I love the way this is written, so airy and lackadaisical. Very much like one would feel in a boring math class.

SanGes SILVER said...
on Jan. 7 2012 at 8:36 am
SanGes SILVER, Doha, Other
5 articles 0 photos 27 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I'm so awesome im jealous of myself"

I'm going to see chalkboards and whiteboards from a different perspective now! U made them seem more interesting.

on Dec. 28 2011 at 5:52 pm
Meaghan_Elise BRONZE, Franklin, New Hampshire
1 article 74 photos 139 comments

Favorite Quote:
The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything..

You're really an amazing author(: Your details and descriptiveness keep it very interesting. You write very well. I like it:D

on Dec. 26 2011 at 2:44 pm
Micky21098 SILVER, Peoria, Arizona
8 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
To be perfect is to know your imperfections.
-Me (if you can believe it!)

AMAZING!!! I love the way the character thinks, kind of like the way i do, but slightly different. Great job and i really love this story!

alex2512 said...
on Nov. 22 2011 at 8:45 am
alex2512, X, Other
0 articles 0 photos 7 comments
This is really good work. Well done, I liked it a lot :)

BluBliss GOLD said...
on Nov. 16 2011 at 10:02 am
BluBliss GOLD, New York, New York
14 articles 0 photos 161 comments

Favorite Quote:
Bella's love for Edward was like, "Omg. He's hot. He's mine because he sparkles. Now I'll brood the wholle book while I'm with him."

This shows honesty in teh things that we usually can't describe, so we don't. You know what I mean? I like it, anyhow.

on Nov. 12 2011 at 8:36 pm
Jappyalldayeveryday, Detroit, Michigan
0 articles 0 photos 163 comments

Favorite Quote:
They say that good things take time, but really great things happen in the blink of an eye

You have developed a really good character and you write so well! Please add a plot? Not trying to be mean, I just think it would be amazing with one.

on Oct. 21 2011 at 9:35 pm
Miki-chan BRONZE, Waynesboro, Mississippi
3 articles 0 photos 37 comments

Favorite Quote:
Don't screw with Crazy.

I really like the sarcasm, also, and have felt like this at times. Keep writing!

on Oct. 21 2011 at 8:46 am
I really enjoyed the cynic/sarcastic attitude, I thought you brought that across very well, creating an airtight narration.  Your style is also very artistically executed; the "stream of consciousness" feel really drew me right into the mind of the narrator.  Great job!

on Sep. 29 2011 at 3:56 pm
peacedream3r SILVER, Middletown, Pennsylvania
6 articles 0 photos 7 comments
I can definately relate to this article!  I am like this all of the time, actually, and its really cool to read a piece i can relate so much to since there is not many people who get this lost in thought and can understand what it's like.  I totally got what the character was going through and truely loved it!

Mickey_D GOLD said...
on Sep. 29 2011 at 2:35 pm
Mickey_D GOLD, Santa Cruz, California
11 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
If you don't believe in that subconscious self as a writer, then you shouldn't be doing it. ~Ray Bradbury

When I read this, I thought of a second place prize dog that knows plenty of tricks, but can't feed itself or breathe.

 

I get the poetry, but I don't see the relevance, nor the meaning.