RHETORICALLY SPEAKING, INTO THE VAST OF DREAM (FINAL VERSION)

 

(fragment from a possible song cycle on "The Twelve Dancing Princesses.")

if we brushed our hems of apricot

against the gold dust of the day

would we then sing we are beyond time now

I cannot say but I can dream

that all that glitters is not seen

or if I wished belatedly or washed my face

in a crystal stream like princesses in storybook exile

would life seem not so heavy after awhile

dancing in dungeons break the spell,

the clouds lift, revealing the moon

and the night grow calm?

mary angela douglas 19 november 2021;2 april 2023