If only I could touch you (dear reader)
your body without words,
empty as paper.
If only love didn’t turn on a dime
every time, or wings were made
of iron, not feathers or wax.
If only your shadow could teach
blue hope arriving soon—these lines
an animal in snow, leaving no tracks.
Wishful Thinking
Julia Caroline Knowlton is Professor of French and Creative Writing at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta. Recognition for her work includes two Georgia Author of the Year Awards and an Academy of American Poets College Prize. She has published a memoir, a full-length collection of poems, a children’s book and three chapbooks. She lives in Atlanta and Paris.