The Path by Myles Calvert

calvert
Morningstar Mill and Decew Falls
Photo by M.J. Thomas, licenced by Wikimedia Commons

The path is worn.
A scar scorched through the forest by an untold number of travelers.

The sky is gray.
What leaves remain on the trees are at rest.

Silent.

Still.

Looking down, a pair of legs are moving forward but no steps are heard.
How long have they been walking?

Looking up, the path, with long snow kissed grass skirting the sides stretches on without end.

To the left an unseen cliff, to the right a spacious field filled with unremarkable flora.

The pace quickens to combat an incessant chill.

How much longer to go?

His legs ache. A glance backwards reveals nothing as the path melts away into black. The further he walks the more darkness gathers behind.

With eyes now forward on the perennial view, he feels a weakening resolve and for the first time, a shortening stride.

Ahead, a soft bend is revealed.

A new breeze arouses the leaves while the mute footsteps become perceptible.

Rounding the bend.

The once impenetrable clouds disperse to reveal a warming sun, a distinct tune from a bird and a flower in bloom.

Entranced by the surprising change he carelessly slows to a saunter while the bend hardens in front of him.

Warm turns to hot turns to blazing.

The song turns to noise turns to a cry.

The grass thickens and encroaches on the path with sharpened blades.

A wince.

As he shields his eyes from the light he kicks towards the intruding growth and launches into a blind run.

The color flushes away and the noise fades to a hum, to a dead calm.

Defeated, he opens his eyes and fixes them back on the straightened path.

Silent.

Still.


Myles Calvert

Source: Myles Calvert, 2023. Written in May, 2021. 

The location of “the path” is heavily influenced by a hiking trail at Decew Falls / Morningstar Mill. As you walk along away from the waterfall there is a cliff on your left and at times an open field to your right.

Those who have walked it before may know it well and recognize the descriptions (although the waterfall is not mentioned in The Path).

Myles Calvert is the owner of  Tenpine Web Development and of Walk Niagara Tours, and can also be found on Facebook.

 

Map of Morningstar Mill / Decew Falls area in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Untitled by Anonymous as Reported by X.Y.

x.y.
Niagara Falls From Goat Island, 1857
Print by Currier & Ives. Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Niagara Falls are a wonderful scene,
Regularly calculated to make the mind serene ;
With their mighty dash and tremendous spray,
They roll and they roll, repeatedly every day !”

**********************************************

These Falls have never been congealed completely,
In this, weak men are agreed, neatly!


Source: X. Y. “Poetry of Young America.” The Massachusetts Teacher and Journal of Home and School Education 10, no. 2 (1857): 89–90. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45023974.

The identity of X.Y. is unknown.

Justyce’s “I Am From” Poem by Hardi Patel

patel
Cover of “Dear Martin” by Nic Stone, the book that inspired this poem


I am from
a bad neighborhood with just me and my mom
From learning to go right rather than wrong
I am from learning to trust even if their skin is white
From learning to fight with words for my rights

I am from playing video games with my best friend Manny 
From debating with SJ and going to Blake’s terrible parties
I am from being on and off with Melo 
And from me and Jared sharing only a small “hello”

I am from almost always listening to my Mama
And from getting caught up with Jared and Blake’s drama. 
From trying to make it to the top, even when Trey always feels the need to tell me, “Mr. Smarty Pants”, to stop

I am from always knowing I can go up to Doc
And from realizing showing compassion is just one drop
From realizing no matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to let those cold metal handcuffs fly
I am from learning Castillo’s dead, but it never mattered
From the cold metal cuffs still being felt by me in the shower

I am from understanding, there will always be jerks
And from learning it doesn’t matter and not to assume the worst
From late-night conversations with SJ when there’s no need to pretend
And from making mistakes I can learn from in the end

I am from asking Martin for some guidance 
And from not letting my voice rest in the silence 
I am from learning to say my words and fight with peace
From understanding my life isn’t missing a puzzle piece

I am from figuring out, they aren’t trying to be insensitive; based on where they came from, it just comes out. 
I am from learning to forgive just like Martin would
From making it clear that, “it’s aight we good”
I am from believing no one should be alone 
From everyone should have somewhere to call home

I am from finding out that compassion will win again and again, opinions aside  
I am from learning, just like Martin said, we should all be kind and look for what’s on the inside
I am from trying always to look at people and understand 
From trying to answer the big question, “are all men really created equal in the end?”


Source: Hardi Patel, 2023. First submitted as a student project in English class, and then published in the African American Registry, Fall 2022.  Also published on the I Am From website in 2022

Visit Nic Stone’s website

Read the article Niagara Falls teen’s poem tackling racism and stereotypes reaches global audience, by Paul Forsyth about this poem by Hardi Patel.


From Hardi Patel:

Hello everyone.

My name is Hardi Patel and I am the author of the “I Am From – Justyce’s Perspective” poem.

This poem is based on Nic Stone’s Dear Martin novel. I am a first-generation Canadian from India. I am currently a student at AN Myer Secondary School in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I am heading into Grade 11 this September; however, this poem was written by me when I was in Grade 9.

This poem began as a portion of my culminating assignment given to me by my Grade 9 teacher, Tina Chivers. My English class studied many writing pieces throughout the semester. Our novel was Dear Martin by Nic Stone. Throughout the semester, we studied the question, “Are all men created equal?”

For my course culminating assignment, I was given many media options and had to choose one to represent my understanding of Dear Martin. I chose the poem option. However, I was faced with a barrier: I didn’t know how to write another poem other than the “I Am From” poem. So, after looking at different poetry forms, I decided to write an “I Am From” poem. However, I wrote it from the perspective of the main character in the book, Justyce McAllister. The “I Am From” poem was something my Grade 9 class did at the beginning of the semester (https://iamfromproject.com/?s=tina+chivers). When I asked Mrs. Chivers what she thought of my idea, she said, “Amazing” and continued with, “That’s an awesome idea! I’m excited to see it!”

Dear Martin was impactful to my class, largely because the main characters in the book were the same age as we were. We could visualize ourselves in their shoes but felt thankful for a safe and accepting community. I found it easy to see these characters as your friends. Ms. Stone’s writing made it easy for me to understand Justyce’s intentions. I also understood how he felt about everything that was transpiring in his life. Although this is a fictional story, all details are relevant to modern life.

Through my poem, I attempted to convey Justyce’s thirst to be an excellent person even with all of the challenges he faced. I attempted to write about how Justyce didn’t change because of the negatives, but rather, he kept trying because of the positives. I wanted my poem to be a summary of the novel, and reinforce the main ideas of the book for Dear Martin’s readers.

This poem was never meant to reach a large audience.

I sent my poem to Ms. Stone, and she showed me lots of love. Mrs. Chivers encouraged me to send it to the “I Am From” project; I got a lot of appreciation from them as well. I’m thankful for these people. Julie Landsman, one of the women who run the I Am From Project reached out to me about adding my poem to the 2022 Fall issue of the African American Registry which is an initiative that she is also a part of. This offer elated me! Additionally, Mrs. Chivers contacted a local library (The Niagara Falls Public Library) and helped put my poem in their local writer’s section! After that, Paul Forsythe published an article in the Niagara This Week newspaper about my poetry. He interviewed Mrs. Chivers and me about how it came to be. As well, the mayor of Niagara Falls, Mayor Jim Diodati, sent me a handwritten note congratulating me on my achievements!

This has certainly been a memorable experience for me. This simple poem with a message I wrote has had an extraordinary impact on my life. I am extremely grateful for the support I have received from so many individuals. When I sent it to Ms. Stone and Ms. Landsman, I simply took a chance, and I received a great deal of support from them. This is an example of how positive results can be achieved if you try or take something a step further.

How Niagara Falls by bp Nichol

nichol
Orca Whales Performing in the “D” at Marineland Referred to in Nichol’s Poem
Image courtesy of Niagara Falls Public Library

the two
dolphins in
their tank
doing
what is called
“the dance”
by poets
and
the crowd
around

………a
full afternoon
of
dancing around

the
…..D
the monkey’s tail made
in 
that
painting by
Seurat
the shoe-store owner
imitated
for purpose of
display

mo-
tels.

more & more
mo-
tels.

fish mouths
in
supplication

“Double
………….or
Single
Breakfast of
Bacon & Eggs”

“My dear
where
have you been?
What’ve you been
doing? I mean
where have you been?”

At this spot
General Brock
yelled
“forward
.men of York!”
the
Niagara
Parks Commission
built a monument.

the
rest of us
look for
slogans
on which to
base our immortality

they’ve
allowed
Missisauga to
rot, “a
most pitiable
crime.”  the 
doorway to
the second storey
cannot be seen 
any longer

past journeys
are
implied

presence
is
present

the highway
follows the gorge
from 
the border
to
the fort
they built
called
Missisauga
then
never used

it is the same
on both sides -the way
the road
goes, the way
the motels rose

“We
want you to
live”
……..U.S.DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
……..AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
……..PLANT QUARANTINE DIVISION

Rooms for tourists
seems
logical
in
a place
no one
would want
to live – all
that water
..to go
over the edge

we bought
shoes in
the shoe store, a
wooden frog
in
the
aquarium, those
things
……….a
person collects
he
refers
the
present to

no
feelings
just
objects. no
things we
wanted to
remember
the day by.

beyond the fort
Lake Ontario had
worn the shore away. the
sky
was grey. it
rained
most of the day.

leaving the American side
a couple were kissing
just because they stood
on
the border line.


Source: Bowering, George (ed). Imago 10: Featuring bp Nichol. Montreal: English Dept., Sir George Williams University, 1967. Accessed on JSTOR 

Read about bp Nichol

Le Niagara by Louis Honoré Fréchette

 

frechette
Niagara Falls, 1902
Published by the Empire Picture Co. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress

L’onde majestueuse avec lenteur s’écoule ;
Puis, sortant tout à coup de ce calme trompeur,
Furieux, et frappant les échos de stupeur,
Dans l’abîme sans fond le fleuve immense croule.

C’est la Chute ! son bruit de tonnerre fait peur
Même aux oiseaux errants, qui s’éloignent en foule
Du gouffre formidable où l’arc-en-ciel déroule
Son écharpe de feu sur un lit de vapeur.

Tout tremble ; en un instant cette énorme avalanche
D’eau verte se transforme en monts d’écume blanche,
Farouches, éperdus, bondissant, mugissant. . .

Et pourtant, ô mon Dieu, ce flot que tu déchaînes,
Qui brise les rochers, pulvérise les chênes,
Respecte le fétu qu’il emporte en passant.


Source: Fréchette, Louis Honoré.  Feuilles Volantes ; Oiseaux de Neiges: (cent et un sonnets). Éd. définitive, rev., corr. et augm. Montréal: Librairie Beauchemin, 1908. This poem is dated 1868

A recording, and analysis of this poem, as well as a biography of Fréchette can be found on this page by Camille Chevalier-Karfis

An English translation of this poem by Charles Pelham Mulvany can be found here