Paterson
Not just the spray lifting from the brink of the Great Falls, but
the busted, blood-red of brake lights in vacant lots,
the pennies circling the bottom of a hungry man’s cup,
fire escapes, hose-watered sidewalks, the bars of storefront gates
rising at nine, the barbed wire spirals of the cellblocks
on Grand, iron bars guarding apartment windows,
slanted street lamps, the rails that run into the heart of
and far away from this city, the rooftops of vestigial silk mills—
these things, too, shine under sunlight.
About Lauren Schmidt
Lauren Schmidt is the author of three collections of poetry: Two Black Eyes and a Patch of Hair Missing; The Voodoo Doll Parade; and Psalms of The Dining Room. Schmidt teaches Developmental English at Passaic County Community College, serves as a Poet-in-the-Schools for Paterson Public Schools, and volunteer teaches a creative writing workshop at a recovery center for homeless men and women in Paterson as well. www.laurenmarieschmidt.com
