Tonight, by the quarter moon,
I will visit the Pemigewasset
lie down my tired bones
let notch waters churn
run the course of my body
pin me to the smooth roundness
upon which I rest
until neither of us notice
the stranger’s stillness
how all that seemed out of place
once was, once wanted
is no longer anything
but this river flowing.
Poem & Photo ©2026 Jen Payne. If you like this poem, you’ll love my book SLEEPING WITH GHOSTS, on sale now at my Etsy Shop.
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