North Shore Triptych
1. Split Rock
Beneath the lighthouse
the view opens to water
past the pebble beach—
the cold and solemn blue
of Lake Superior, washing
the hardest stones endlessly
into smooth, round cobble.
2. Gooseberry Falls
On the climb to the falls,
only forest is always visible—
rosehips, moss, cedar.
The sound of water mutes
the quiet step by step.
Every wood handhold
is written over with initials
and forgotten names.
Circling back, we cross
a metal walkway with a message
chalked on the rusty railing:
everything will be fine.
3. Tributary
A swaying bridge spans
the Great-lake River
that rushes over rugged
slate and greywacke—
rock tilted by force
that now seems scenic
as we pause to look out
over the whitewater,
forgetting for a moment
the violent history
above the earth and below.