It has traced their grain
beyond all memory, before
the seed was dropped into
hospitable ground
acquiring spreading forms,
then rough right angles,
a dark red gloss. Intimately
involved in all their becoming.
7 a.m. Light solidifies
each rectangular line
with a touch inseparable from
warmth. The steps are sure.
Ascension is certain.
By Monica Cure
Monica Cure is a Romanian-American poet, writer, and translator currently based in Bucharest. She is a two-time Fulbright grantee and her poems have appeared in Plume, RHINO, Rust + Moth, UCity Review, and elsewhere. Her poetry translations have appeared in journals such as Modern Poetry in Translation and Asymptote, and her translation of Liliana Corobca’s novel The Censor’s Notebook was published by Seven Stories Press. She can be found on Twitter @MonicaCure or www.monicacure.com