upstream by Everett Lane (17, United States)

​10. they built a dam in the river and now
when the salmon try to go home they
hit a wall. 9. i was yellow-haired
and yelling, like the sun. 8. look
at the little ones run along, haloed, happier.

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7. in fourth grade everyone figured out
the trick for tic-tac-toe and then we stopped playing.
6. there's static on the radio; there's
a shivering feeling in the wind when i go
to the lake at night and stare at the dam.
i feel relieved to be human. i can always go home,
maybe. 5. the kindergarten classroom
looks like primary colors and picture books,
smiley stickers, wide wide rainbow rug,
wasn't this a home? 4. we could write love songs
to the clock on the wall or we could pick up a hammer.
3. i'm good at growing up; i take to it like a fish in water.
2. i miss i miss i miss i miss i miss i miss i miss
1. life is a river and time is a wall.

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Everett Lane, age 17, is a student poet from the US. Their work has been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and published in the Write the World Review. They enjoy words, sentences, and organizing things in spreadsheets.