for the very first time, you stare down
over stone walls, at that roiling current
be drawn in, wanting to join that cauldron
to cross that old forbidden threshold
to fly beyond day-to-day experience
to regain that biblical acquaintance
To flaunt the imposing of boundaries
and ignoring all regularities
jumping beyond the walls of conventions
unconfined by man-made limitations
It is a place of obvious excess
trying to fulfill our need for freedom
our intense yearning for true connection
with something much more than our selfish selves
A place that threatens the ordinary
with a willful, life-giving compulsion
created long before woeful Eden
and lustful Eve thought of tempting Adam
Cannot the Falls be described as sublime?
something beyond natural and human
Can it be decided by consensus
They have received universal acclaim
Niagara Falls, a natural place
with a very loud, intense, booming voice
witnessing chaos of the primordial
pure form, long before the decline and fall
The boundless realm of nature, now controlled
still exhibiting that untamed power
of otherness, something not of ourselves
including a realm of secret gardens
of minute gardens of long-lost Eden
Is Niagara Falls spiritual?
Does Niagara Falls have a pure soul?
Early visitors made ‘pilgrimages’
pilgrimages lead to divinity
Does Niagara frame eternity
or just the roaring of absurdity?
Terminus of the Underground Railway,
the Church consecrated Niagara
as a hopeful ‘pilgrim sanctuary’
in faith established “Our Lady of Peace”
next to the Carmelite monastery
Sacred pilgrims transformed into tourists
and now soulless gamblers in cassinos
from the sublime to the sentimental
from the holy to the hedonistic
Some see it as a permanent side-show overdone
Clifton Hill, horror museums
or should that be horrible museums
carnival-like bickering attractions
waxen daredevils and tightrope walkers
a great fungus growth of entertainments,
of curiosity-shops, fast-food outlets,
pagodas with shining tin cupolas
Tourism removes danger from the landscape
destroys the sublime and awesome in nature
welcoming despairing souvenir shops
Niagara Falls as entertainment
the once sublime has been commodified
for sale as nature and humanity
transformed to a mass of dancing tourists
The Falls no longer for introspection
it became a place for observation
selfies, with me at photo center
no longer the Falls of Niagara
and the seeking spirits of pilgrim’s past
A place for honeymoons and copulation?
Sex and the wild side of human nature
symbolic of sexual passions and lust
a place of social ritual and desire
Changing a charmed maid to dutiful wife
marriage attempting to preserve order
images, Marilyn against stone walls
Niagara Falls as ‘red light district’
We can talk of industrialization
as a base for electrification
seventy percent waters diverted
gothic temples for power generation
Can you ever really belong here?
Is this where real identity begins?
How do men experience Niagara?
Do women take in the Falls differently?
How do Canadians see Niagara?
What do Americans think about it?
So, are there some final words for The Falls?
in roiling, boiling times like these are now
don’t forget your primal glimpse of The Falls
free from cell phones, selfies, digital world
live again, the romantic geography
witness anew, tireless work of nature
beyond science, tech and that new AI
an entirely subjective experience
Does Niagara Falls express anything?
You can choose, but the answer must be “Yes”
but do not forget, despite what’s recent
one truth is clear; the Falls will outlive us all
that might be all we ever need to know
about the forever falling Niagara Falls
Source: The author, 2026.
This poem was entered into the Niagara Falls Poetry Project 25th Anniversary Poetry Competition and won the Spirit of Niagara Falls award,
This poem won the Spirit of Niagara Falls award in the Niagara Falls Poetry Project 25th Anniversary Poetry Competition, awarded to the poem that best exemplifies the spirit of Niagara Falls in all of its forms. It will be published with all the other entrants in a print anthology to be published by Phylum Press. To reserve a copy of the anthology please email aporteus@niagarapoetry.ca. A companion volume exploring the poetry over 6 centuries will also soon be available, and may be reserved ahead of time.
Stan (Stanisław) Skrzeszewski was born to a Polish soldier and a Scottish mother who had both directly experienced WWII and who often discussed history, although they usually had opposing interpretations. Thus began Stan’s life-long interest in history and WWII. Stan’s life really began at university where he graduated with a BA in philosophy and literature and with a Master of Library Science. He went on to work in public libraries and then morphed into a management consultant specializing in Internet strategies.
Taking an early retirement Stan returned to university and completed an MA in philosophy. As a philosopher, he organized a long-running series of philosopher cafes – open discussions on varying topics. He also decided to become a writer and focused on poetry and history, before branching out into plays and short stories.
Stan also serves as curator and chief researcher for the Orliński Museum in Mississauga, Ontario. As a historian, Stan focuses on a Polish-Canadian perspective bringing a unique lens to how this history is presented. He also specializes in presenting the stories of Polish veterans who decided to make Canada their home after WWII.
Stan is married to Jantina and has two children. Mary Anne is an artist and horticulturalist. Michael is an outdoorsman and renovator living in British Columbia.