Saturday, May 20, 2023

A VALENTINE FOR ELINOR WYLIE

 

I imagined a winter sky;the silver doves frozen

on the wind drawn twigs

a kind of valentine frost etched, not sent.

glazed over in the glittering day or end of days

I imagined the steps light as feathers in the new snows

barely the porch light on.

just beginning, the blank dawn.

and the unthawed toes in pale slippers

the Japanese blooming housecoat, billowing out

face unseen, slim fingers

retrieving something;perhaps the bottled cream and

the quick returning.

why am I always thinking in parables

when all I want is a warm hearth;

some days, only the pale irises in a vase.

the Holy Ghost.

I should have lived in another time

when flowers still graced the home

benevolent hosts of them

fresh from the gardens

late blooms and sturdy

before the great snows.

mary angela douglas 20 may 2023

No comments: