A Poem By Lynn Melnick

by Mark Bibbins, Editor

Niagara

It wasn’t God
with us that October.

It was something bigger than we can put into solemn books
and pray to

although I saw you praying as you stood over the falls,

your eyes shut for a while. I was praying too
which I do when I’ve lost sight

of anything human.
I’ll admit it here:

I was embarrassed

because the scene didn’t take my breath away like I had wanted it to.
Majestic, yes, and

sure, I could imagine falling
because I always imagine falling

but there was something about the way
the lavender of the sweater you bought me

split open

the mist and the gray
that had me thinking

things don’t have to be sweeping to be beautiful,

they don’t have to kill me
to make me love them.

Lynn Melnick’s first book of poems, If I Should Say I Have Hope, is forthcoming from YesYes Books.

Pssst, buddy, you lookin’ for more poems? Keep this under your hat, but we’ve got a bunch right here, in The Poetry Section’s archives. Quality stuff, too, trust us. You may contact the editor at [email protected].