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on false spring and the herring run
by Genevieve Smith (United States)
February 2023
Audio: "on false spring and the herring run," read by Genevieve Smith
Herring fish gather in the shallow stream behind the lake and through the trees. It’s Sunday afternoon, and I am sitting on the thick slabs of concrete that seem so out of place this deep in the forest.
CLOSED, proclaims a sign in front of me, TO THE HARVEST OF RIVER HERRING. I want to reassure the creatures, somehow, that I am harmless. I needed to get out of the house.
As I push off out the driveway an hour before, I think of what the poets call false spring. Sunshine beams down and the air carries pollen that makes my nose itch. When I bike past the bay I can just smell the mud and salt of the clam beds. Little purple flowers peek out from a summer home’s flawless lawn. Still, next week the sky will return to grey and those stubborn violets will frost over as if January never left.
Now, I listen to the rush of the herring run and graze my hand along the ice-cold water. The river knows this isn’t quite her time. It will take until June for the lake to be flooded with kids in neon bathing suits and the beaches to overflow with parents counting down the days until back-to-school.
But it is March, and the lake only knows the fish and frogs and me. And, I think with a breeze brushing my winter-pale skin, what a wondrous thing it is.
Genevieve Smith, age 13, is a young writer from Massachusetts. When she isn’t in school or jotting down poetry, she enjoys riding her bike, discovering new music, and spending time with friends.
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Clare
5/26/23, 6:23 AM
Congratulations Claire - this is a powerful piece - this feeling of a yearning for a home that may not even exist anymore will be something that everyone who lives outside of their original homeland will resonate with. Well done.
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Love the words I mean the way you coin the letters bravo! And also a fellow Nigerian as well good luck
Quin Tesa
5/25/23, 9:27 PM
Love the words I mean the way you coin the letters bravo! And also a fellow Nigerian as well good luck
Akinlose Emmanuel
5/24/23, 11:04 AM
An amazing piece, quite figurative and exciting to read.
Adin Underwood
5/6/23, 12:18 AM
It's staggering just how many topics this poem can apply to. Very eye opening. 10/10
Adin Underwood
5/6/23, 12:14 AM
Although it may seem simple on the surface it is quite charming to see just how much thought and effort was put into understanding how a cat acts and thinks.
Adin Underwood
5/6/23, 12:10 AM
I liked how even though each line was different it always came back to the central theme.
Sarah Parker
4/28/23, 3:01 PM
This was a wonderful piece to read. I can't imagine haven't been told about periods and sex. I was in fifth grade when I took a class. And even then, there were things they left out. This was a really important topic to write about. Great job!!
Sarah Parker
4/28/23, 3:01 PM
This was a wonderful piece to read. I can't imagine haven't been told about periods and sex. I was in fifth grade when I took a class. And even then, there were things they left out. This was a really important topic to write about. Great job!!