Pink Pearls

I miss the late late show on tv
when there was something you wanted to see;
the feeling of being free

to write your paper
at the last moment
after taking more notes on the subject

than is humanly possible

on color coded file cards
the way the lawn looked
early mornings after a

hard frost
when we thought
all is not lost!

the fairies have come
and left their diamonds here
for us!

the feeling of waiting for a bus

to take you home.
whether it was from school or work
no matter how small it was:

your next apartment, rooms,
the feeling of settling in.
of courting winter's gloom.

dreams that arise like a kind
of hibernation for the soul
when the trees have no leaves to show

and suddenly going to buy the dress
you saw in the window
and finding it fits

and the pink sheer of it
or the boutique with the
fake pink pearls

the moments in between
the world and what you have to do;
the museum on Saturdays.

I miss every day that was
I wonder if in Heaven
we will relive them again

and if we try hard enough on earth
could you go back
and get the groceries

from another year
or remember a thing you used to say
when you were so happy

and life folded out so elegantly
like a gardenia
as if the world were made of ivory

winter or spring
and you couldn't stop singing.

mary angela douglas 7 november 2017