—with thanks to Olga Broumas for sharing the Greek poet Elytis
Look up, the sun
is exactly where you left it
and will not move
until you call it
in the language of your heart.
Silence is also safe
for we will carry you,
but why rely on our embrace
when you can fly?
Men have waited lifetimes
to see a flower this close.
Many have gone blind.
© Nicole Melanson
* This poem first appeared in The Mississippi Review, where it was a runner-up for The Mississippi Review Prize for Poetry, selected by Angela Ball