A Thin Slice of Cake With Posies On The Side, To My Grandmother

to my Grandmother, Lucy W. Young

ye unbound words that in my heart have recourse
from the hard edged winds of modernity
and cannot be pirated away

shine as you may
all ruby emerald sapphire sprayed
on the deck of imagination's ship

with the white silk sails
refracting olde rainbows
composed of the roseleaf, intricate

jeweled design like the glass bright
ornaments on my Grandmother's needlepoint pocketbook so fine
we always coveted rain or shine

may you be in line

with what she taught me
quoting in the kitchen
from the works of Tennyson, sublime

while we scooped huge scoops of frosting
from the unwashed bowl
and all Heaven hovered

at the open screen door
just to hear more.

mary angela douglas 10 january 2017