Up Here by Bill Arnott

Down Here

I’m just down here 
and he’s up here
my dad would say
placing his hand like so
and then again
just so

Convoluted 
pecking order
handed down 
and kept alive 
by those 
up here 

For years it didn’t 
quite seem right
but dad at times 
held on to things 
held on to 
by his mom 

I realize just why 
it never quite seemed right
I’m almost certain 
now that he’s 
up here 
the rest of us 
                              down here

​

Vancouver author, poet, songwriter Bill Arnott is the author of Gone Viking: A Travel Saga, and Allan’s Wishes. His work is published in Canada, the US, UK, Europe and Asia with numerous features in literary journals, magazines and anthologies. Bill has a 2019 poetry prize and honorable mention from Pandora’s Collective and is a finalist for the Whistler Independent Book Awards with Gone Viking: A Travel Saga.

---