THE STORY COULD ALWAYS HAVE GONE ANOTHER WAY

 

perhaps I was careless and didnt watch the time

but who could expect that the coaches made of pumpkins

would all break down in the same rhyme;

fairy godmothers always understate their advisories

already my new blue dress looks limp

and the trail behind me is littered with sequins falling off

it doesnt matter now what at the time seemed

devastating

Im taking a new approach to work

and lining the cupboards with sprigged paper now

we've called the engagement off.

I was always happier alone

just a stone's throw from my mother's grave

where the birds sing as if they were made of silver

and they chime

and I will live here for a long long time.

darning the Mysteries.

mary angela douglas 27 april 2023