We Went Forth In The Apple Of The Day

we went forth in the apple of the day
the gilded coach so apricot in the sunlight
happy learning what to say

and that our shadows lengthened,
painted on the garden walls.
and is that all she said;

who was the Painter?
you are small, chirped the birds
but you could fly away

if you tried harder
and we played we could, remember?
and stirred our lemonade in the shade

the way the old music plays itself out
on the player piano in old movies.
and this is the cinema verite

of Cinderella in the silents
her glass shoe that blindingly crystal
the way I saw it on the toy projector's screen and

the way the silk spools out at the end of the play
gleaming and gleaming

mary angela douglas 28 january 2016