The Backporch Review 2022

Sailor Stuck in a Bottle
By Jillian Speakman, 10
I’ve sailed these seas all my life
And though there are no clear trails in our waters
I know the pathways of these seas
Like the grooves in my palms
It’s the same water it's always been
And the only boat we’ve seen is our own
Everything in my life has been an unchanging constant
And the monotonous pattern of my existence is beginning to bore
All I yearn to do
Is to sail new seas and meet new folk
But no matter how many years pass
All that I know stays the same
Though I can’t read it
There’s writing in the sky
All I can understand is
“0$— ɘlttoᗺ ɒ ni qi⑁Ƨ”
86