Along The Border

I was planting irises along the border

the border of what perhaps the angels queried;

or my old teachers, coming to the point;

the villagers in the dream coming back from the fishmonger's

with the fish with the golden scales untidily wrapped

the border I said thinking they should know about that already

my border neither sun nor sky the indelible the violet winds of it

words drifted away on oh not again I cried

not at this temperature

how could I say what I meant then

that orphaned  in  an amethyst light

that everything in the story

would come out right in the end

or explain to them who were counting the cost of butter

the need I have for clarity, not for stones,

I'm not alone! I cried.

I know that it was Easter, Easter Day

over the wall I heard the bells I heard the pearled bells say:

stay O stay and I hung on;

I felt the dark trees sway

I smiled then my best wavering 

smile it will be alight in a little while;

I said

when the skies are flowering.

we will cut the bread

and halve the little oranges.

mary angela douglas 4 april 2021