Silver Poets Census In The Firefly Galaxy Aftermirage

["...in the secret place of the Most High.

-Psalm 91]

the directory of unpublished poets

drifted under no one's sun

yet did not set with the moon;

mysteriously undervalued,

God takes the silver census of the poets

and the snows

far from the kingdom of newspapers,

closets brimmed with crystal slipper knock offs.

green is the faded hour in His hand

the manuscript purple with tears

where the blue ink smeared and,

undefiled.

for a little while I have hidden you

under my hand, perhaps, He said

like a firefly glow in the galaxy.

here is the place they buried the sun

said Mandelstam, softly.

said Mandelstam.

mary angela douglas 23 july 2014