The Falls

by Greta Unetich

​We spent almost all of August by the cliffs of the falls. 
Shale cracks beneath my bare feet. My knees are curled into my stomach. The water glitters, reflecting the stars above.
 
I am thinking about the brown paper bag of peaches you gave me, sitting on my desk in my room, far up the hill. 
​
I remember closing up the swimming hole soon after in September because the water got too cold. My hand in the creek, my back facing the dark air. I remember this, but not swimming for the last time.

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Greta Unetich has been writing poetry since eighth grade. She published her debut book of poems, Look Both Ways, in December 2019, and recently published another book of poems titled Polaris in May 2021. She is a regular contributor for Buzzsaw Magazine, Kindergarten Magazine, and Living Zine, and an editor for the poetry section of Buzzsaw Magazine. Her books are available in Buffalo Street Books and Odyssey Bookstore in Ithaca, New York and in Monaco's Coffee in Geneva, New York. Unetich attends Ithaca College and majors in biology and chemistry with plans to become either a high school biology/chemistry teacher or a diabetes educator.