If I Catch The Hem Of My Dress On Your Clouds

[Cinderella's hymn]

if I catch the hem of my dress on your clouds
will you defend me?
mockers flood the ground and rivers

how can I stand still
monogrammed with the winds
if I catch the hem of my dress

on your clouds.
sing aloud the sing song sing
but I lacked wings

or anything
too far afield
at the bus stop every a.m.

amen they say
and fold their hands
and look askance

because they can
when I catch the hem
of my dress on your clouds.

and I don't have a valentine
not even a sweetheart neckline
for the party

all in pink. I will step out
in the mists again I think
with you, with You

my only friend
if you'll defend me when
I catch the hem of my dress

on your clouds.

mary angela douglas 24 november 2015