In the spaces between certainty,
water writes its own story—
small streams that follow
nobody’s rules,
carving channels through
whatever stands still
long enough.
I am learning
the language of persistence
from creeks that refuse
to recognise property lines,
threading silver fingers
through chain-link dreams,
pooling in places
no cartographer bothered
to name.
Here, where belonging
is a question mark
painted on temporary walls,
I watch water remember
what I keep forgetting—
that home is not a place
you arrive at,
but a current
you carry.
Even concrete cannot contain
this quiet rebellion,
this silver-tongued insistence
that some things endure
beyond ownership,
beyond the careful borders
we draw in pencil
on official forms.
The stream beside the shelter
knows my face better
than any caseworker’s file,
reflects back a girl
who moves like water—
fluid, finding gaps,
carrying forward
what matters most.
Bob Lynn | © 2025 Vox Meditantis. All rights reserved.
This poem uses water and streams as a central metaphor for resilience and persistence, mirroring how the dandelions function in “What Remains.” Just as the dandelions grow wild and follow “nobody’s rules,” the streams carve their own paths regardless of human boundaries.
The metaphor explores themes of belonging and displacement – like the speaker in foster care, water doesn’t recognise artificial boundaries but finds its own way. The phrase “nobody’s rules” appears naturally in the opening, establishing the poem’s connection to the prompt whilst maintaining its own voice.
The poem engages with the inspiration piece’s themes of endurance despite temporary circumstances, using water’s ability to persist and adapt as a reflection of human resilience in the face of displacement and uncertainty.
Photo by Konrad Pistol on Unsplash
Vox Meditantis 
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