Olivia's Overlook

All year long they gather on this outcrop
carved by wind and water into the flank
of Lenox Mountain. They arrive on foot,
on road bikes and air-conditioned SUVs
for a chance to sip wine, smoke a joint,
or just sit on the long stone wall and look
for dragons in the clouds. On July 4th
crowds come for fireworks over the lake,
and in January, when the sun sets early,
they park and turn up the heat, seduced
by the sky’s glitter and black party dress.
But a few make the climb with a plan
for suicide-Jim Beam and a bottle of Oxy,
a well-oiled shotgun or a length of rope,
the lucky ones making it to our ICU,
others laying there wounded or dead
when the sun comes up and ignites
a scene that can take your breath away.