There Must Be Though We Have Never Seen

there must be though we have never seen

angels with singed wings carrying the souls released

from fire, from earthquake flood

angels with drowning in their eyes

weeping as they fly to lift above

the fractured earth so that God will recognize

those who lost their lives on the bully playground of the world

sometimes I hear the whir of wings so designated

and from the corner of my eye one tear emerges

that seems magnified as though it held billions of worlds

with trees torn up by the roots of birds that sing no more

of birds that sing no more and knights delivered from their quests

who in the ethereal blue.

find their unaccustomed rest.

mary angela douglas 5 november 2020

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