to me
Niagara is represented
by the seasons
it starts off
as a new year,
fresh snow on the ground,
endless possibilities
you step out of your house,
maybe on Devine Crescent in Thorold,
and that first breath
of crisp winter air
fills your lungs
and freezes you to the bone
and reminds you that you are alive
everything is always
so still
on January 1st
like a clean slate,
an empty canvas
and then movement begins to paint the beginning of a detailed picture
[migrating geese,
the rustle of a tree,
a car alarm going off,
the sun trying to peak through the grey clouds,
a friend shouting your name]
and the moment shatters
and the new year officially begins
maybe it starts off
with breakfast at Lester Dees
and quickly, but silently,
unfurls into a whirlwind
of school and work and birthdays and holidays and movies and dates and a trip to Niagara Falls and a stroll through Niagara-on-the-Lake and a hike through the Escarpment in Grimsby and joy and happiness and sadness and laughter and tears
and moments
spring blossoms
you feel drenched by the April rain
and weighted down from melodramatic February
but you also feel that sense
of hope
that tingling in your toes
that something good is coming
so enjoy a drink
on a patio in Port Dalhousie,
and crank the volume up
a little bit louder
before a concert at Mansion House,
and take in the scenery
as you run along the Welland Canal
because spring is here
as the days get longer
and the sun gets hotter
summer, lazy as a sloth, engulfs Niagara
Crystal Beach is in full swing
and summer becomes home
to barbecues, camping adventures, road trips, hiking at DeCew Falls, late night laughter, reminiscing around a campfire, the reuniting of old friends, dips in ice cold pools and water gun wars
and as slow and nonchalant
as it entered your life
summer slips away,
like the golden sunsets that it harbors
the leaves change to brilliant shades
of red, yellow and orange,
we wrap ourselves in scarves
and hats and mitts
the world quietly changes around us
fall gives us
warm nights by the fireside
and hands locked while walking along the Escarpment, the city stretched out below
while the squirrels scrounge for food,
we, too, scamper around,
wondering where the year has gone
some will exhale,
a sigh of relief
and some will allow
a large, satisfied grin to stretch across their face
and fall is just that,
a time to reflect
on all that has gone right
and all that has gone wrong
what resolutions did we keep,
and what did we let melt away,
with the humid summer heat
Niagara changes every year
but it is consistent in its ability
to mold new life, to stretch itself, to immerse itself in every season, to provide outlets to enjoy life, to be that friend that is always there to fall back on
and to provide those memories that bring a smile to your face
and leave a warm feeling in your heart
Niagara is home.