every moment on earth its gold is ticking away
gold of the sun, gold underlay of the beggar disguise
the worn carnation petticoat of the shepherdess,
her jewels tucked into the seams, the goose girl
and the wandering gander dreams, wither wherever they wander
downheel, downhill in any weather;no more the wedding silver
ware
royalty in a plain disguise
learn to factor in enterprise
the figurine on the mantle with the subtle smile
ceramic, will be gone in a little while with the seeming sheep in the
meadow...
children have heard time out of mind consumed with their
applesauce apprehensions
the soft receding of fairy tale dimensions
when they were young mixed in with the wind
in the fitful playing of let's pretend
the fern leaning out of the window
toward the lilies blowing more orangely in the sun
I'm the only one in the world thinking this right now
said I in the how and why of it AND setting my small boats afloat
underneath the piano, its geranium stillness in late afternoon
and are you going away so soon
I quarreled mildly with my sister over
which rose leaf really did Thumbelina sleep beneath
and I mourn the candles of their going:
these tribes of the fleetingly beautiful:
this diamond diaspora of the morning dews
I mourn every leaf of what we never knew ,
blew over us, never to return
declensions, enumerations of the painted clouds
over everything we ever wondered outloud
look, I am saying it now that I
tocked the wonders, the waters away
the fingerpaint ridges, the dwarf star midges
the blue waters, blue violet of my watercolour set.
the wedding setting of radiance, the piloted angels over
all this crystal etching of
the planet dreaming in mists of the scratch art
layers of our wistfulness;
the rubied gleanings of the hours no longer in retreat
for it is meet:
this interdiction of Christ for the disappearing...
...
the sunflowered door, then the pouring rain of our tears;
the birds of forevermore, singing.
mary angela douglas 24 april 2021
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