Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Brightness Is Brighter

[to e.e. cummings]

brightness is brighter

gold on gold ever gathered
falling out of creases in the clouds
beckoning from the quartz glints
unexpected, on crummy sidewalks

flung flower filled through twilight skies,

not penny-pinched, the seldom truly glimpsed,
wildflowered out the windows of the proud
and drawing room banned; of little note
between raindrop and raindrop


pierrots weeping into the sequined suns
whenever sommersaulted nothing's won-
still, musical without the audition-
muddled, opal-puddled

it goes on gardenia-gleaming

in a basement atelier
sweet columbine dear o dear blues spinning tulle graced

into God's best guessing games
there is light there is light
sang the child in early spring's

white violet arias delight!
forgetting the scales oh not the halos,
brightness is lighter than all aureoles,

orioles in the auroras
tangerine sectioned out of sight

you can carry it in the corner of

your corners, in any disguise
cloud shaped piano
drifting, dreaming through the droning:
multicoloured, even after Christmas incandescence

tulip bulbed and icicle fretting and I have loved Your
multifoiled winds their infinite snowing
invisibly valentined reprieves

of the non-descript days
crowned queen of the

maybe something lavish will happen...
who can say,between the holidays
rose-trellising the drizzle.
you can ferry it no matter who

they think you are in the day-to-day,

clandestine, marveling in the thought of it;
cramped in dim corners but otherwise,
cherishing the faintest ray
you're that regally ragtag

though they shove you

out of their way.
whatever else you're lacking

even with no packing on each
dress white eviction day-
pearl punctuated, bride ghosted

brightness goes with you
mere dragons dare not slay

mary angela douglas 26 march 2014


Note on Poem: cloud shaped piano - this is the second time I found a way to allude to that wonderful image in Chekov's The Seagull referencing the writer writing down eachthing he sees without respite including a cloud shaped like a piano...

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