Shanxi River

Two stately behemoths fling ash to the sky.
The residue of hopes and dreams, it drifts downwards
00to cover the land in black dust.
The coal plant will solve all problems,
Luxury beckons, all troubles seem over,
But the shimmering of the waters betrays the falseness of the image.
Peering down, the water deepens to a dark gray.
A bottle floats by, the faint outline of a fish.
A boy dips in his line, holds his rod of bamboo,
The quiet river of Shanxi moves on.

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Michael Zhang, age 14
Guangzhou, China
American International School of Guangzhou
Teacher: Amy Shawver