FALSE SPRING
On one of February’s false springs,
I hike to the creek near my house,
Searching for mica, pottery, and shells.
Over my head a kingfisher zings,
His song is whooping and wild.
I’m a prospector, panning for gold.
I crouch, move pebbles in the stream.
I stuff my treasures in the pocket
Of my jacket—it’s lapis lazuli blue.
I see mica by its gleam.
I slip over the muddy bank,
I see signs of a beaver, both new and old.
—from 2024 Rattle Young Poets Anthology
__________
Why do you like to write poetry?
Elliott Egan: “I like to tell stories about the world around me, and I like how poetry flows together. Stories are so hard to write down when they are long, but in poetry I can get all of my ideas down on paper. I also really enjoy making magnetic poetry and haiku poetry, because counting the syllables and making things fit together is like a game.”
