River Town Lament
after Heinrich Heine
Grey stones on the riverbank water laps at my feet I think of her laughter and the smell of coal smoke
Summer air clings to my skin heavy with the scent of blooming flowers that line the streets but bring me no joy
I walk alone at dusk the river’s dark voice whispers secrets to the night I am not consoled
I took from Heinrich Heine his fascination with the Rhine River and his use of abrupt breaks and sparse punctuation to create a sense of urgency, and applied these elements to a poem about a river town and a lost love. His use of sensory details and colloquial language also influenced my approach.