if only algebra had been with picture book illustrations
rife with things from the fairy tale like
The Princess and the Pea Proof for instance
or how many golden apples were shaken down from the
trees of fable minus their shadows on the sundials
prove x for the variable endings of the stories with lavish borders
so that the princess weeps pearls at noon
my dearly departing
forgetting to sentence the jester for missing the riddle
on which all of life depended
or how many slices of hummingbird pie from plant sources,
factoring in the fact
that tomorrow is the first day of Christmas may the Princess eat
and still not be queasy on a speeding coach
the one lined with cherry silk
going in the opposite direction
I still believe the Princess was real
and sensitive to a fault
even if she couldn't count
all the money
she needed for honey. the cost of an
endlessly finicky heart.
mary angela douglas 24 october 2021;15 april 2023
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