WHERE IS MY SISTER

God help the children in their kaleidoscope turning
i said to my sister but she couldn't hear me
did the fleece of snow cover her ears

did the bridge of light melt with her fears and she
in her tiny satin her beribboned slippers
why did I let go of her hand

near the blackboard with the light years figured out
in coloured chalk

and near the persimmon tree where she played.
let the iced tea chime in the glass
of one normal day

at least in memory.
I can't hear music anymore

there, where she was.
I thought she would always be.
one minute I turned the key

into the gingerbread lock

but she was elsewhere
there where people take stock
only of what they will have for lunch.

let the angels come with new crayons
and redraw her
let the lawyers speak above whispers

so that truth will come down
in the form of an angel a valentine carefully constructed
and beyond reproach

let the judge harken, harken to this
where is my sister

so that no false word may enter the record
and let me say to the court
oh she is not your ragdoll.

she was my sister.
oh God I have one token left.
please let me through.

mary angela douglas 18 october 2017