We leave after breakfast for the Trillium Gap Trail,
begin the moderate uphill hike to the Grotto Falls
in the Smoky Mountains National Park. Thread our way
along the mountain side through a forest of hardwoods,
giant oaks and poplars brushing the clouds. Meander
past large ferns and stands of mountain laurel, their pink-
tipped blossoms like hands of welcome, and inhale
the strong aroma of rhododendron. We pick careful steps
past elephant-trunk-size roots protruding into the trail.
Stop a mile in for a quick drink of water, mop our brows,
sweat beading our backs, and snap pics of the foliage.
Another half mile and we near the trail’s end, scramble
over huge, odd-sculpted rocks to the last short portion
paved with flat stones. A narrow clearing absent trees
highlights its centerpiece, the multitiered waterfall.
Spellbound for a long moment, we pause, absorb
the spectacular view, feasting our senses on this noisy
motion picture as filtered sunlight sparks gems
on the cascading water, the last section streaming
over in thin sheets and strings, with globs plunging
down like thrown goblets of this liquid of life.
Revved-up heartbeats calm with the steady rhythm
of the falls. We gaze into each other’s eyes, nod yes
and laugh as we peel off clothes down to swim
wear, stand at the edge of the turbulent pool,
hand in hand, contemplating a dip in the cold basin.
We decide instead to walk around behind the cascade,
an option unique to this Smokies waterfall. It splashes our
extended hands and arms as spray sprinkles our faces.
We stand until we feel we are one with this nature’s gift,
grow mesmerized by the loud gushing forth, the foamy
tumbling down, rolling over boulders, slipping under
fallen logs and sliding over jutting limestone ledges.
The tumultuous falls roar so loud we can’t converse.
But some charming words taste even sweeter
seasoned a spell on the tongue, especially in the misty
presence of silvery, sparkling waterfall rain.
Wesley Sims has published five chapbooks of poetry: When Night Comes (Finishing Line Press, 2013), Taste of Change (Iris Press, 2019), A Pocketful of Little Poems (Amazon, 2020), Where Saints Have Gone (Iris Press, 2025), and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Maturity (Cyberwit.Net, 2025). His work has appeared in Artemis Journal, Connecticut Review, G.W. Review, Liquid Imagination, Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel, Novelty Magazine, Poem, Poetry Quarterly, Bewildering Stories, and numerous others. His poems have been nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize.
Click the images below to find more of Wesley Sims’ poetry:
**Featured image of Grotto Falls along the Trillium Gap Trail from Brian Stansberry – Wikimedia, CC 3.0
