Should I stare?
Though my eyes are closed,
Her radiance enters,
Through the soft air,
Her wings cut deep and fierce,
Forward, always forward,
With confidence in the soft air,
“More!” she declares.
Of me?
Should I dare, to gaze upon her?

Justin Anthony Mann is an archaeologist and a writer. He is currently a Fulbright Fellow, living in Athens, Greece, where he studies the art and archaeology of the Byzantine Empire. His writing is inspired by the lives of the people and places where he works.