Echo of the Falls by Jimmy Lisotto

lisotto
Jimmy Lisotto

The roar of perpetual thunder
As the falls cascade down,
A relentless sledgehammer of liquid fury.

The ethereal mist—
The Smoke of Niagara—
Ascends into the heavens,
A celestial canopy of white
Piercing the sky. 

Closer—
Curling like tendrils.
Vaporous.
A rainbow cast,
Iridescent droplets
Shimmering in the air.
An invigorating blanket 
Of aqueous embrace.

An echo of the Falls.

Source: Jimmy Lisotto, 2026

Echo of the Falls was entered into the Niagara Falls Poetry Project’s 25th Anniversary Poetry Contest.

Jimmy Lisotto is a poet in New Hampshire. He has previously been published in Agape Review, The International Library of Poetry, Solid Food Press, Trashlight Press, Bee The Foundation, Arlijo, Black Noise Zine, Valiant Scribe, and Faith On Every Corner. He believes that poetry is a medium that can connect people from all walks of life. He can be found on Facebook and Instagram. 

Death on the Parkway, 2018 by Sally Basmajian

basmajian
Sally Basmajian

What a sight he was,
Garbed in finery—
Brown-dappled, feathery,
Long-legged majesty:
Niagara Parkway’s king.

He stalked toward the tourists,
Undaunted, vigilant.
He fixed his beady eyes
On my bashful ones.
I ran away.

Then, when he got too cocky,
Desperado style,
He lunged and drew some blood,
The citizens responded:
He must be stopped.

The local headlines bellowed,
“Mad Turkey on the Loose!”
The SWAT team was deployed,
‘Hut, hut, hut!” met “Gobble!”
We held our breath.

A bang, with flying feathers—
Proud Thomas lurched and fell,
Next to the river’s roar
In Paradise Grove, Niagara,
Our turkey died.

Now walkers stroll in safety,
Cyclists can wheel on by,
Young lovers snap their selfies,
And picnickers are undefied—
But our turkey is no more.

Alas, Tom Turkey is no more.

Source: Sally Basmajian, 2026

Death on the Parkway, 2018 was entered into the Niagara Falls Poetry Project’s 25th Anniversary Poetry Contest.

Read about Tom Turkey here

Sally Basmajian is the author of three traditionally published novels (So Hard to Do, a romcom; Fountain of Evil, a dark romance; and Apprentices in Magic, a middle-grade fantasy) and countless short stories, some of which are award-winners. With over 60,000 TikTok followers, she micro-influences by gleefully reading entries from her teen diaries.

https://www.sallybasmajian.com/      https://www.tiktok.com/@sallybasmajian

Creator’s Gift by Wendy Sturgeon

sturgeon
Niagara Falls
painted by Arthur Parton, ca 1880
Image courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum

Sustaining many, injuring none
your magic fluid owns claim to natural freedom,
natural beauty.
Creator intended you to survive, Onguiaahra,
through millennia / eons with prayers
of thankfulness for all life
every creature, indeed multitudes of two legged
revere your majesty, come to peer,
to heal, to transform, bathe in your favor,
mysterious ion mist, Creator’s gift.

Though greed of others strives to tame you,
by commanding grip to dominate, fill insatiable need
that only desecrates in attempting to subdue
your ebullient continuousness.

Your thunders and whispers persist as
you, Onguiaahra, pursue your original purpose
Though darkness may surround you still
you inspire and feed our souls

Source: Wendy Sturgeon, 2026

Creator’s Gift was entered into the Niagara Falls Poetry Project’s 25th Anniversary Poetry Contest.

Wendy Sturgeon has been writing poetry and creating art as long as she can remember first under the tutelage of her artist, writer, poet mother. Her first poem published as a teenager, followed with many publishing’s throughout adult life. sporadically while enjoying family life and employment. Poetry is an art form she has returned to more avidly since retiring.

Charm by Cole McInerney

charm
Clifton Hill, August 2026
Photo by Andrew Porteus

Cycled down Clifton Hill
as if we won the lottery

Passed by Frankenstein’s
Monster’s Burger King

& the cinema door said
“No projection today”

Stopped at the rainbow road
by a glowstick salesperson

Bought one to invest
in our local economy

Ooo’d at the cavern
separating the countries

Thought about the world
five hundred years ago

Noted the boat dock
which looked so miniature

Felt like Flat Stanley
looked like Chicken Little

Bought peanut brittle
from the snack salesperson

Watched from the barrier all night
as the magic wore off

Waiting to see if they were
sending their military our way

Relied on the back and forth
with my dearest friend

& the truthful blue hour
only occurring in summer

Source:  Cole McInerney, 2026

Charm was entered into the Niagara Falls Poetry Project’s 25th Anniversary Poetry Contest.

Cole McInerney is a poet from Niagara Falls, Ontario. His poems have appeared in Contemporary Verse 2, Columbia Journal, North American Review, South Dakota Review, and elsewhere. He received his MFA from the University of South Carolina.

Cascading Freedom by  Sheila Thadani

thadani
Sheila Thadani

Swirling waters
embrace the cliff
with ardor… with
the passion of a lover.
Sparkling diamonds
reach for the skies,
then they crash
with the sound and fury
of clashing cymbals.
The moon dances
a silver waltz…
romancing with the waves,
as the world sleeps.
From the simmering summer
to the icy snows of winter
the show goes on…
Gleeful torrents spread
their whipped cream
of joy into the foaming waters.
Showing off nature’s landmark
of unbridled freedom;
endlessly it flaunts
its tranquil liberty
at the world, a place
where only chaos reigns.

Source:  Sheila Thadani, 2026

Cascading Freedom was entered into the Niagara Falls Poetry Project’s 25th Anniversary Poetry Contest.

Sheila Thadani is a writer and a poet; she has a M.A. and has written a column for Hi-Rise Magazine, her articles have appeared in Substack. Her poetry has been published in The Wave-Kelp Journal, Tiny Seed Journal, The Dissident Voice, Literary Veganism, W.P.D.Congress and others; and Anthologies, “Emerging Earth” and “From Here to There.” She has won prizes for “The Moral Abyss, Quest for Peace, Woven Fabric, Weeping Earth, Lost Spring of Love, and others.