It Must Be The Rose Crowned Adagio

it must be the rose crowned adagio,
you murmured in your sleep;
the one slipping past

the Princess as she dances
her whole life out in the one scene.
and the sequins flower in the footlights

and the moment itself is a rose.
now a rose, folded in sleep
lest dreaming take its toll

and thinking there was
another way out than this.
let sleep settle over everything

some lilac benediction;
the long vigil commence.
the one where the bells are stilled.

mary angela douglas 18 july 2016