“only dead fish go with the flow”

In the bend of the river where shadows are cast,  
Silvery scales in the current rush past,  
Glinting and gliding in seamless array—  
But lifeless, they tumble whichever the way.

Alive in the eddy, resisting the stream,  
A salmon leaps upward—alone, yet supreme.  
Against every ripple, determined, she’ll strive,  
For only by swimming against do we thrive.

The current is easy, it’s gentle and wide,  
But dreams are upstream, on the opposite side.  
So wade through the rapids, let courage bestow,  
For only dead fish simply go with the flow.

Be sharp as the minnows, alert and alive,  
Don’t list with the driftwood, but shimmer and drive.  
The path less expected, the hills yet to climb—  
It’s not where the crowd swims, but where you find time.

So heed the river’s lesson, both winding and true:  
Don’t float with the lifeless—let purpose steer you.  
For sometimes the bravest, the greatest to grow,  
Are those who refuse just to go with the flow.

Create Your Own Poem | Recent Poems