If we could only imagine a better arc of flight – a poem by Alfred Fournier

If we could only imagine a better arc of flight


we might spring from the bough     ascend 
with the instinct of light      without goal 
or weight of loss on our wings      
cut      with the diamond-blue edge
of fresh hope      through cool air 
to the thinness      at apogee’s breath      
where we bow      then descend
riding gravity’s flow 
like a boat bent from spirit     
muscle and bone



The title comes from “One in the Hand,” by Jorie Graham.

Alfred Fournier is an entomologist, writer and community volunteer living in Phoenix, Arizona. His nonfiction and poetry have appeared in Amethyst Review, Delmarva Review, American Journal of Poetry, Lunch Ticket, Gyroscope Review, The Indianapolis Review and elsewhere. New work is forthcoming at Blue Unicorn and Drunk Monkeys. His Twitter handle is @AlfredFournier4.