25 Lines or Fewer

Nowhere Else to Go

By Linda Sue Park

Turn off the lights.
Wear another layer.
(Sounds like a dad.)
(Sounds like a mom.)

You say hand-me-down.
I say retro.

Walk.
Bike.
Walk some more.
Recycle.

(See what I did there,
bike—recycle?)

Your name in Sharpie
on a good water bottle.
Backpack. New habits.
No thanks, don’t need a bag.

What else.
Oh yeah.

Tell ten friends
who can tell ten friends
who can tell ten friends ...
Make enough noise,

maybe the grown-ups
will finally hear

the scream in the title.

Poet Bio

Born in Urbana, Illinois, children’s writer and poet Linda Sue Park grew up outside Chicago and earned a BA at Stanford University. She is the author of numerous novels, picture books, and poetry collections for children. Park lives with her family in Rochester, New York. Her work often uses historical settings and innovative forms to expand young readers’ sense of possibility.

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