
Photo taken by Anton Atanasov on pexels.com
Tree looked down haughtily
at stream below.
Eyes rolling, tree said,
“It must run in the family.”
Without missing a beat,
stream flowed steadily.
Not responding does me best,
stream bubbled inaudibly to self.
Stream didn’t reply in the moment,
but years later remembered the remark.
The careless words burned,
and the heated heart turned with frustration.
Stream had swallowed many sticks and stones,
but words were etched deep in heart recollections.
About the Creator
Rowan Finley
Father. Academic Advisor. Musician. Writer. My real name is Jesse Balogh.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions



Comments (5)
Oof, this one’s got that quiet sting! Also—how real is that part about remembering the careless words years later—relatable.
Intriguing PoV! Really got into this one!
Tree eventually fell down and rotted, and Stream is still babbling away, giving life to the woodland creatures. I love this, great job!
You are doing an amazing job!
That was so poignant and has so much truth to it!