Monday, November 27, 2023

A FAIRYTALE RIVER RIBBONED THROUGH THE WORLD


a fairy tale river ribboned through the world

visible to some, shining in odd places, shimmering chimera

to little children.


some floated boats on it, some cast necklaces of flowers,

the rainbow broidered merely smiled (mysteriously).

it grew, the fairy tale river, past all we knew


even past all we would never understand

about the unenchanted lands,

past trees in their summer bowers


and where an unseen music carried us

through livid hours, through walkie talkie ravages of time

still bordered with eglantine, with airy castles

and with cherried towers late  afternoons hours


edged sky to sky in Romany and while

the world decried: "Anomalie!"

etched deep beyond the mire of day-to-day


in living gold I prayed


and told at times beside no hearths at all

where hope was an amethyst scrawl where

the fires burned low

and when that failed


and all our harps wept winterly 

still they ticked their tocks the tales of old

on days at home with the doors and windows closed,

when the little sod crevices let in the blast

we still held onto them through the looking glass


and when it rained we remembered the

beautiful refrains


and when authorities complained

still ours to keep

a rose red rose white flame

asleep, awake I send to Thee

oh Thou, most Steadfast


we dreamed of.

and grew into at the last.

mary angela douglas 15 march 2015;27 november 2023

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