Winter Falls by Rich Roach

sleep niagara
Niagara Falls in Winter, 1890s. Photo courtesy of Niagara Falls Public Library

Sleep, sleep, Niagara, deep beneath the ice;
    Your native thunder quell, that peace may reign
About your mammoth frame; let calm entice
    Your weary waters, evermore a fane
For weary hearts to perch, spellbound in awe:
    Carve caverns from the layered ice and snow,
That out the gap you breathe both rough and raw;
    Along your sides let chilly north winds blow,
And cystallize the limbs of every tree
    Guarding the lofty borders of your brim;
Let famished seagulls from your chill face flee,
    That nothing stay the zealous eye to skim
        Your placid whiteness, lost in rare displays
        Of wonder, dreamy scenes for all to praise

Source: The author, 2001.

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