Mary Szybist

Insertion of Meadow with Flowers

In 1371, beneath the angel's feet,

Veneziano added a meadow—

a green expanse with white

and yellow broom flowers, the kind

that—until the sun warms them—

have no scent—

God could have chosen other means than flesh.

Imagine he did

and the girl on her knees in this meadow,

open, expectant, dreamily rocking,

and the girl's mouth open, quiet,—

is only important because we recognize

the wish. For look, the flowers

do not spin, not even

the threads of their shadows—

and they are infused

with what they did not

reach for.

Out of nothing does not mean

into nothing.