O that like a flower I could unearth
one pure blossom! Find in some vital
depth a gold, a blue passion
that bursts above this thinking
like a halo. How simple it seems
when the flower does it: seed, root,
stem…and then, poised
like an angel on a green ladder
the lily, the rose, the narcissus.
O, heaven does not have to be
too high—just a little above
the roots, above darkness,
above the mind—not a bird
or an angel, a flower,
four petals, two, one

This article appears in March 2026.

Julia Alvarez is the author of several novels, poetry, essays and books for younger readers. Her latest book is Visitations, a new collection of poetry. She was a recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 2013.