Sault Locks

Merchant ships still pass
through the Sault Locks at night,
sweetly though,
with a little water
splashing up against the bow--

And you can see the mills
from the shoreline
where Sault Ste. Marie works
on alloys and copper and metals
and tins--

They say Hemingway
used to fish these waters,
beneath the bridge, on the
Canadian side,
where the local girls
used to swim at night
when it wasn't too cold--

And around midnight
you can sit on the sleepy banks
and watch the lights
drop out in the houses
stateside,
sweetly though;
with a little water
splashing up against the bow.

Originally published in Red Shoes Review, 1989

Gio reads "Sault Locks" on YouTube