Melanie Green

To The Waking Here’s to that which trues to quiet, to patternedleaf, purple crocus, to a wooded wild away—ponderosa pine, mountain rise. Here’s tokestrel hover, grey skies, lichen. To carbon,copper, hydrogen. Here’s to the quark, the boson,and electron. To black holes, nebula, spiralinggalaxies. Here’s to the ever-moving andthe ever-still, conjoined. To metatarsal,metacarpus, metamorphosis. Here’s to the openhand, the giver and receiver. To loftingsand root. To cobalt, crimson, raven black,the fixity rift—surfacings tingle—new leafand cold air waking the face and lungs of it all. Melanie Green grew up in the Pacific Northwest and lives in Portland, Oregon. She is the author of three poetry collections: A Long, Wide Stretch of Calm; Continuing Bridge; and Determining Sky. Her poetry explores themes of living with chronic illness, inspiration and solace through the beauty of nature, and an interest in the numinous.