Long Live The Emerald City I Said

long live the Emerald City I said

to no one near but God

long live the place where we were fed

bright cereals, crackling in milk.

and though this world be full of the ilk

of those who harry us dawn to dusk

that we may earn a simple crust

long live, long live the storybook friends

and the ones that shone from the movie marquees

or even from the small tvs

in our past, erstwhile living rooms

where we found respite from the dooms and glooms.

and for eternal fortitude and singing all along the way,

long live our mutual courage and the ruby shoes

the golden means to the golden end

the path we took so far from home

not knowing where we were going then

on the backs of cyclonic furies

that led us somehow back again

through many trials my friend my friend.

mary angela douglas 20 november 2021