The Queens Of Strawberries

when fruit flavored life savers were the best treat
all lemon lime cherry pineapple great
then we were queens of the strawberries

at least in our own backyard
the one that flings blue shadows now
the ghosts of our swing a statue days

in the firefly studded air when the gnats started swarming
wishing to be stars and the statues made out of pretend

I always imagined them in a sort of Parthenon expanse.
what would we wear if we really were
queens of the strawberry patch I mean, I meant

I would have meant

or at least the runners up
something in a deep pink froth
with a paler pink cloudshawl

carelessly thrown over it
or Glinda returning in a hopeful pink bubble
I think in Heaven

we won't be that far off from
clover chains, the hot sun on our playsuits
the splash of the dog into the cheery blue

huge above ground plastic pool with the whale on it

and pure summer laughter then
and squealing when you get wet
all silvery in the sunlight 

and overnight, it's packed away.

what is childhood then
we all end up wondering
if you can play scales on the piano

and they sound exactly like
lemon cherry orange pineapple lime-
every time

mary angela douglas 17 june 2018