Jane Zwart

Consider the forsythia. Consider
the child who jostles that basket
of saffron antlers. Consider
the charm of goldfinches
blown from the bush, sparks
from ember, and the lemon
sucker the child holds aloft, backlit
boy with seashell ears. Someday
he, too, will balance a leaf of fire
on a wax stick, protecting its flicker
with the soft wall of his hand.

Jane Zwart

JANE ZWART  teaches at Calvin University, where she also co-directs the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing. Her poems have appeared in Poetm, The Southern Review, Threepenny Review, TriQuarterly, and Ploughshares, as well as other journals and magazines.